International cooperation
by halfanorski
Summary: The BAU is called in to help the Organisation of the United Nations. An old friend of one of the team members is being targeted. Or is she really the intended target? And who exactly stands behind the unsub?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Criminal Minds doesn't belong to me.**

**This is my first fanfiction, I hope you'll like it. Reviews, tips and critics will be very gladly welcome!**

Chapter 1

= New York City, 10.00 GMT-5 =

"Lieutenant-colonel Sørensen."

"Yes sir."

A second later, the phone was hung up and the lieutenant-colonel up on her feet. Before reaching for the doorknob, she came to a stop in front of the door, straightening her uniform and fixing her hair in a bun. Once satisfied with her appearance, she walked purposelly towards the lift. She knew why her boss called her, but it doesn't make these few minutes of waiting any easier. She might know why she has been summoned, but has no clue as of the direction this meeting will take.

The knuckles of her left hand rasping at the door, she thought: _"God, I hate diplomats!"_

"Sir, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, please take a seat."

Unable to figure out if it was a good or a bad thing, the lieutenant-colonel reluctantly sat down. Accross the desk, a man in his late 50's wearing an expensive and impeccably cut dark suit looks at her before giving her a small smile.

"The operation has been green-lit. "

Releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding, she asked:

"When can I go?"

"A diplomatic car is already waiting for you. Grab the files you need and a go-bag, you probably will have to spend the night there. Oh, and take major Watson with you"!

Walking out of the office after saluting her boss, she couldn't help but smile. She knew she shouldn't be so happy, especially judging the circumstances, but she'll take every chances to be back in the field she gets. Having the major as a sidekick is the icing on the cake. Reaching for the phone in her pocket, she hit speed-dial. After a few rings, she heard a slightly breathless woman pick up:

"Major Watson."

"You know Casey, caller ID exists for a reason," she teased.

"Yeah well, it kills all the fun, lieutenant-colonel."

Sørensen could hear the smirk in the major's voice. "Casey, stop being a smartass and hop in the shower, the joint operation is a go. As soon as you're ready, we hit the road."

Suddenly very serious, major Watson answered with a short "Yes ma'am" before hanging up.

30 minutes later, the 2 women were in the car on their way to Quantico.

"So, who are we meeting again?" asked major Casey Watson, her eyes trained on the road.

"SSA Aaron Hotchner, BAU chief. I spoke to him on the phone while you were cleaning up after your work-out. He will gather his team as soon as we arrive. And before you ask, no, he doesn't know why we come to see the BAU. Saying he was shocked to hear who I was would be the understatement of the decade."

"I can't blame the boss for wanting to keep this story under tight wraps, it could be a possible diplomatic incident."

"Incident doesn't even start to cover it, Casey, it could be an international clusterfuck yes!" said Sørensen while pinching the bridge of her nose.

Her eyes leaving the road for a second, the major stole a glance at the woman sitting in the passenger's seat. _"She looks tired, and more worried than I've ever seen her, and that says a lot. I wouldn't like to be in the shoes of our guy the moment she puts her hands on him,_" she thought.

"You need to rest, we have a long day ahead of us. And for the love of all that's holy, take a painkiller! We need you to be at the top of your game, not distracted because you're in too much pain to focus!"

Shocked by her subordinate's last sentence, Sørensen looked at her a question in her eyes.

"You seriously think I didn't see you were limping? True, it's barely there and I am sure no one else noticed. But I know you."

These last words were said softly, the tone of her voice full off care and concern. All lieutenant-colonel Sørensen could do was smile and reach for the bottle of pills in her bag. Following the major's advice, she let her head fall back on the seat and close her eyes.

4 hours later, she felt a hand on her left shoulder, effectively waking her up.

"Already there?"

"Yes, you slept for a while. You needed it", she added, knowing Sørensen would feel guilty for dozing off during the most part of the trip.

"Looks like I did... alright then, let's go." Shaking her head one last time to make sure she was fully awake, Sørensen grabbed her go-bag and the box of files from the trunk, while Watson stretched after the long drive.

Bags in hands, both women looked at eachother, making sure the uniforms of lieutenant-colonel of the norwegian army and major of the US marine corps were impeccable. One last look at the light blue berets on their heads, and the 2 soldiers walked accross the bullpen.

They barely had the time to take a few steps inside when a man rushed towards them.

"SSA Aaron Hotchner. Welcome to the BAU."

Before the women can introduce themselves, they heared a voice ringing in the open space "Kaja?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to calzonaobsessed and coachkimm for the reviews! ****  
>About the berets, coachkimm, I needed to use some artistic license for the sake of the story. I figured it would help guess which international organisation both Sørensen and Watson were depending from ;)<strong>

= Quantico, bullpen, 16.00 GMT-5 =

"Kaja?"

Both women turned their heads so fast, Hotch thought they would get whiplash.

"Emily?" is all what a stunned norwegian officer could say. By that time, the rest of the team had gathered around Hotch, looking just as surprised as the soldiers and one of their own.

"Emily? Men... du er i live?"

"Herregud, ingen fortalte deg at jeg var 'undercover'? Jeg beklager så mye Kaja!" Shaking out of her stupor, Sørensen gave her friend a warm smile and Emily walked towards her to hug her. The agents around them were looking at the women with wide eyes while major Watson was grinning.

"Ladies, not that I like to burst your bubble but I think Prentiss's colleagues are dying to know what is going on," said Watson, which causes Emily to leave her friend's embrace and reply to the woman with a smile dancing in her dark brown eyes "You say this because you're jealous and want a hug too, marine!" Her grin getting even wider, Casey quipped "Hell yeah!" which caused the 3 women to burst out laughing.

"It's good to see you Em," said Casey after they all regained their breaths.

"Good to see you too Case. And now I think it's time I let you introduce yourselves", added Emily sheepishly.

"Indeed you're right. I'm sorry for being rude, I wasn't expecting seeing Emily, as you probably figured out. I'm lieutenant-colonel Sørensen, norwegian army, and this is major Casey Watson, US Marine corps. We work for the Organisation of the United Nations." Once again, the FBI agents were bewildered. What were 2 UN officials doing in Quantico?

Reid was the first one to recover from the shock, unable to refrain his perpetually inquisitive mind from asking the reasons behind the presence of the 2 military personel "Erm... can I ask why you are here?" Exchanging a quick glance with the major, the lieutenant-colonel looked back at Reid, a very serious air displayed on her features. "We need your help. We think we have a serial offender in our task force."

This time Hotch was the one talking, realising they couldn't keep discussing in the open. "Please, let's all go into the conference room. JJ, call Garcia and tell her to join us. Morgan, Prentiss, go get coffees and water for everyone. Reid, make sure we get all the privacy we need."

Hotch barely had the time to finish delivering his orders that Garcia was already trotting in the bullpen, a flash of colours in the otherwise dull FBI environment. Once all were settled, Hotch introduces the team to the newcomers. "Lieutenant-colonel, Major, these are SSA Derek Morgan, David Rossi, Jennifer Jareau, doctor Spencer Reid and our technical analyst Penelope Garcia. You already know Emily," he added, the shadow of a smile gracing his lips. Taking it as her cue to speak, Sørensen thanked him with a small nod and stood up "First of all, let me tell you that formalities are not needed. Besides, Emily never uses my rank anyway. I think doing so would kill her", which made the agents around the table chuckle, "so call me Kay." Major Watson promptly jumps in "And call me Casey." Receiving nods from everyone, Kay went on "I know you wonder why we came to you, and why you weren't warned. From now on, all you will hear, see and read in the course of this investigation must be considered as secret and sensitive material. The less people involved, the less security risks we are facing. Is this understood?" Once again, all nodded their understanding. "I am the head of an international task force, Casey is my adjoint. The unit we lead is a rapid deployment force, which means we can be shipped anywhere in the world and be operational in less than 24h after receiving our orders. As you can imagine, our soldiers are amongst the best serving under the UN flag. Recently, Casey noticed a similar pattern rapes happening in places the task force has been deployed. None happened around our base."

"You think one of your soldiers is a serial rapist?" asked JJ.

"As Kay said, we don't know. But what are the chances rapes with the exact same MO happen at the exact time the unit is deployed in the vicinity? I'm no profiler, but even to me the odds seem incredibly low." Looking around the table, Casey could see everyone agreeing with her.

This time, Emily was the one speaking "So, where do we start?"

**Note:** **the dialogue in norwegian says:**  
><em>"Emily?... but you're alive?" <em>  
><em>"Oh my god, no one told you I was undercover? I am so very sorry Kaja!"<em>


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

= Quantico, conference room, 16.30 GMT-5 =

"Casey gathered the police reports from all the sexual assaults which happened in conjunction with the unit's deployements. The ones she believes our guy committed are in there, but after talking together we agreed it would be better if we don't tell you which ones we suspect are related. We're not profilers and we don't want to make this investigation fall through because we influenced your reasoning." Pausing for a second, Kay looked towards Casey before continuing "You also need to know that considering where we've been sent lately, it's a miracle these crimes have been reported at all. No doubt our guy knows this and counts on the women remaining silent."

As Kay sat down, Casey relayed her "38 files. All of them are in the original language with an english translation. Consider this an opportunity to polish several of the foreign languages you speak, Em", she grinned.

- "Let me guess, ambassador Prentiss told you I need to work on my russian."

- "I plead the 5th" chuckled Casey.

- "I am going to kill my mother. Rossi, where would you get rid of a body?"

- "Prentiss, leave me out of your family vendetta. I value my life!"

- "You can talk down serial killers but you're afraid of my mother?"

- "Your mother has the president on speed-dial" Garcia chipped in.

- "Point taken."

- "Could you please pretend you actually want to catch this unsub? You'll have plenty of time to discuss possible disposal sites for Ambassador Prentiss's body after we've caught our guy. Prentiss, I think Morgan has a handful of propositions already", said Hotch a twinkle in his eyes.

- "Derek, I knew there was a reason why I love you!"

- "Hands off my chocolate god, agent Prentiss!"

- "Don't worry Garcia, he is not my type."

Kay and Casey were listening to the playful banter, trying hard not to smile. The green-eyed redhead leaned towards JJ and whispered in her ear "Do you always interact like this?"

- "Oh trust me Casey, that's nothing, they're behaving. For now" replied JJ, unable to repress a small laugh.

Raising up to try to stop his 'kids' from teasing eachother, Hotch nodded towards Garcia who then plugged the USB flashdrive Kay had handed her.

"Here is a map with all the locations we have been sent to during the last 18 months"

- "Wow Kay! You've been busy!" let out an impressed Dave Rossi.

- "Afghanistan, Chechnya, Northern Kosovo, Irak, Lybia, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Darfur... You've covered almost all the hotspots. Instability combined with cultures were women are seen as inferiors, no wonder you said it was a miracle these rapes have been reported at all."

- "Indeed agent Hotchner. Luckily, Casey does the operation follow-up routine very carefully and was able make the link between the assaults. Agents, I know this is a unique situation for you, but know I want this guy out of my unit. Whatever you need from the UN, consider it given." Everyone around the table could see the determination in the gray eyes of the norwegian officer.

Morgan spoke for the first time "How many soldiers are serving in your task force?"

- "Including Casey and I, 252. All of the files are on the flashdrive. Uncensored."

- "Uncensored?"

- "Are you surprised we give you full disclosure without stalling or giving you excuses, agent Morgan? I said we were fully cooperating. I don't have the time nor the will to engage in a pissing contest, and I couldn't care less about politics. Whoever is behind this is a disgrace to the UN and I want him in prison. No one under my command will put the blue helmets to shame. Now, can we move on?" Stunned by the speech Kay had just delivered and by the almost crushing will oozing from her, all the agents could do was agreeing with her.

- "You said you had 250 soldiers under your command. How many different nationalities are they from?"

- " 6, Dr Reid" replied Casey

- "Our medical unit is norwegian; logistics, intendance and approvisionement are constitued of Canadians; our communications liaison officer is German; helipcopter pilots, mechanics and soldiers are either French, British or Americans."

- "Casey, if I may ask, knowing we have no jurisdiction over the UN, how did we ended up being on this case?"

- "You got the case because you are the absolute best in your field, JJ. As for jurisdiction, you've been temporarily attached to the ITC."

- "The ITC?"

- "International Tribunal Court, Morgan. They've prosecuted, amongst others, crimes against humanity in Rwanda and former Yugoslavia. It's the first international court since Nuremberg after WW2."

- "I'm impressed Dr Reid. Emily was right, you do know everything!" The comment from the sandy blonde haired Norwegian rendered Reid speechless and made him blush furiously, but the wave of teasing was stopped short by Hotch handing piles of files to each profilers, keeping one for himself. "Time to start the fishing operation."


	4. Chapter 4

**smg55: thanks for the tip! I tried to follow your advice on this chapter, I'm a pen & paper girl so I'm still finding my way with the editing/publishing ;) I'll edit the 3 first chapters in a few hours.  
><strong>

**calzonaobsessed: I'm happy you like the story. As for the shameless facts-throwing, I plead guilty as charged, I'm a history nerd** **:D**

**Here is chapter 4. FYI, chapters 5 and 6 are already written and chapter 7 is well under way. **

**(I know, 2 chapters in 1 day, I am spoiling you!) **

Chapter 4

= Quantico, conference room, 17.00 GMT-5 =

The silence in the conference room was only disturbed by the scratching of pens on paper and the sound of pages being turned. After what seemed an eternity to the 2 soldiers but was in fact mere minutes, the files were read and and notes ready to be compared.

Rossi was the first one to speak « Casey, just out of curisosity, how many cases do you think are related? »

- « 7 »

- « Let's see how many we can put together » he replied with a tiny smile, « who wants to start? »

- « What about you Rossi? »

- « None of the cases I've read bear any indications of being the work of a serial rapist. They are either war rapes or committed by family members. What about you Reid? »

- « Amongst the 8 cases I've reviewed, one strikes me as odd. »

- « Odd? »

- « He was wearing a condom JJ. »

- « To not leave DNA evidence behind. It's not odd Reid. »

- « It is if you know the rape happened in Kabul. »

- « Anything else Reid? » asked Hotch.

- « Actually yes. She was blindfolded and said he kept repeating the words 'it's payback' and 'it should have been me'. »

- « Wait a second! 2 of my cases fit this exact same MO! One happened in Irak and the other one in Lebanon. Condom, blindfold and the muttering. »

Writing on the white board, Hotch said « With Reid and JJ's cases, we're up to 3 already. Anyone else has something? »

- « Well... I have 1 identical case, and 1 slightly different. »

- « Different how, Prentiss? »

- « She was tortured with a knife. She had several cuts on her legs and lower abdomen. »

- « It could be an escalation », interjected JJ.

- « I agree. When and where Prentiss? »

- « Grozny, Chechnya, Hotch, both of them. The first one happened september 14th 2011 and the second one was 9 days later, september 23rd. »

- « We're up to 5 rapes. Do you have anything Morgan? »

- « 1 rape in Tripoli, november 3rd. She was tortured too. »

- « Reid, when did it happen in Kabul? » asked Hotch

- « February 5th 2011 »

- « JJ? »

- « Beirut was July 29th, Baghdad April 6th. »

Turning his back to the board, Hotch looked at the profilers and soldiers around the table « We have 6 rapes so far, and I have one more to add to the list. Mitrovica, Kosovo, August 15th. He started the torture there, she had several cuts on both her legs. Major Watson, if you ever decide to change careers, you're welcome at the BAU, that was some impressive work you did. »

- « Thank you, agent Hotchner, but I think I'll stick to the blue berets for a little while longer » she winked at him.

Focusing on the board, Morgan summarized what they had so far « Blindfold, condom, obviously he is not taking the risk to be identified. »

- « And it all started in Afghanistan a year ago. The sentences 'it's payback' and 'it should have been me' show that he is using these women as substitutes for his real target. And using a knife to cut his victims during his last 3 rapes... he is escalating. The next victim might not make it out alive. »

- « Agent Rossi, do you mean one of my guys is not only a rapist but could also be a murderer? »

- « I am sorry Kay. »

- « Don't beat yourself up Kay, it's not your fault. »

Pushing her chair to stand up, she almost shouted « Casey, these are our soldiers! »

- « They went through physical tests and pych evals, they have no criminal records, their military records are spotless and they get debrieffed as soon as we leave a theater of operations. We followed procedures, there is nothing else we could have done. »

- « It doesn't make me feel any less guilty. »

Forcing the taller woman to turn around and look at her « I know Kaja », Casey whispered. Reaching for Casey's face, Kay lightly caressed her cheek with the back of her hand « I'm sorry Case »

The FBI agents in the room looked at the 2 women, too stunned by the almost intimate gesture they just witnessed to peel their eyes away. Luckily for them, the ringing of a cell phone broke the moment

« Lieutenant-colonel Sørensen...Hva faen? …. Send me everything you have. That was Major MacKenzie, he is in charge on the ground when Casey and I are away. We have a problem. »


	5. Chapter 5

**I am not american, so I know I have done mistakes and I will do more in the future. I do researchs of course, but I will get some stuffs wrong. Also, I take some creative licence. Please, bear with me ;)**

Chapter 5

= Quantico, conference room, 17.30 GMT-5 =

- « That was Major MacKenzie, he is in charge on the ground when Casey and I are away. We have a problem. 45 minutes ago, the police of the city of Stuttgart where our base is located found a body. We should receive the pictures right... now. »

- « Garcia, on the screen » ordered Hotch.

While Garcia opened the email and sent its content on the big screen, Casey added « The german M.E. says she was raped. He used a condom. »

- « Oh my god! »

- « What Garcia? Are you ok? »

- « Look at the screen Em! »

- « Holy...! Her left leg is missing! Rossi was right, he escalated. Killed and mutilated his victim. »

- « What I wonder is why did he suddenly attacked a woman so close from the base. »

- « Rossi, you said it yourself, he is escalating. »

- « I know what I said Morgan, but why taking such a risk? »

- « He is losing control » stated JJ matter of factly « what I wonder is, why did he cut off her leg? »

All the profilers but one looked back at the picture.

« Kaja? » asked Emily, looking between her friend and Casey who were standing like they were frozen on the spot. Kaja let herself fall heavily on her chair, and leaned on to bang her head on the table. The sound of her skull coming in contact with the plane surface made the profilers turn their attention on her.

« I know why he did it. I know why he cut off her leg. »

Casey was sitting by her side, holding her right hand and running her left hand up and down her back in a soothing manner. Turning her head, Kay gave her a small smile before claiming her hand back.

« He cut it off because of me. » 6 voices left out a « You? » in perfect unison. Instead of answering their question, Kay lifted up her left leg to let it rest on the table and rolled up her trousers' leg

« Yes, me. That's why. »

The metal of her prostetic leg glimmering under the harsh neon lights, she explained

- « 4 years ago, in the outskirts of Kabul, an IED exploded under the humvee I was in. The driver died on the scene and our translator never made it out of the table. They couldn't save my leg. Amputated just below the knee. »

- « So you are his ultimate prize. Now we know who his real target is, we have to figure out why you. He started his rape spree in february last year. Can you think about anything which could be his stressor? »

- « I don't know, agent Hotchner », her voice barely above a whisper.

Walking towards her and putting a hand on her shoulder, Hotch spoke softly to her

- « Why don't you take a break for a few minutes? You have a lot to process. Garcia is looking at all the men in your unit and we are putting a profile together. »

- « Hotch, is it ok if I take them to the break room? »

- « Ok JJ, go. »

- « Thanks Hotch. Come on ladies, let's raid Emily's secret chocolate stash! »

- « Don't you dare JJ! »

- « Or what, Prentiss? I am a better shot than you. »

- « Don't be so smug about it. You're sleeping on the sofa tonight! »

- « Oh oh, someone's in the do-o-oghouse » sing-songed Morgan, causing JJ to glare at him and the rest of the room to laugh.

- « I should shoot you for this comment Morgan, but I'll let it slide for now as we need all hands on deck. You will pay though. »

- « I'm scared JJ » said a still smiling Morgan while JJ was exiting the room.

- « You know, you really should be scared Derek. She will get back at you. » whispered Prentiss.

- « Nah, you'll protect me. »

- « Uh-uh, no. »

- « You would let your girlfriend kick my ass? »

- « Yes I would, exactly because she is my girlfriend. I live with her. You don't. » snorted Emily.

- « You're a traitor Prentiss » muttered Morgan before turning his attention to Garcia « baby girl, found anything? »

* * *

><p><em>= Quantico, break room, 17.45 GMT-5 =<em>

- « So, you and Em, uh? »

A broad smile was JJ's only answer to Casey's question.

- « Woohooh! Homerun Em, well done! »

- « Really Case, baseball analogy? »

- « You're norwegian, you can't understand » replied Casey, before winking at JJ, making the blonde agent laugh.

Kay was looking through the window, her back turned to the 2 women

- « You know JJ, I'm 36, I've been in the military half of my life. I've seen terrible things and had to kill people. I have a bionic leg, as my niece puts it. But this... What this guy is doing, it makes me sick. We're supposed to protect these women, not abuse them! And all this is happening because of me! »

- « Don't you dare thinking like this! In my years with the BAU, I've crossed paths with very deranged individuals. They would have committed crimes anyway, no matter the circumstances. You are not responsible for this unsub's delusion! »

- « Thanks JJ. Let's go back and see if they've found something, shall we? »


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

= Quantico, conference room, 18.00 GMT-5 =

Stepping into the conference room, Kay asked « What have we got? »

- « The cuts made to remove her leg were crude, probably made with a combat knife. It happened post-mortem, at least that's a small relief. His lack of knowledge makes us think he has no extensive medical training and he for sure isn't afraid of blood. Could be a cook, as well as any of your soldiers. »

- « Which is why the oracle of Quantico and her babies are here to help you narrow it down, princess. »

- « What did you found baby girl? »

- « I, my hunk of burning love, compared the dates of the rapes with the soldiers being deployed at that time. Here's the interesting thing, the unit has 250 soldiers in total but they rotate every 6 months. The only ones who were on all sites are not rank soldiers but commanding officers. »

- « She is right, we rotate with 2 teams of 125. A bit like a submarine crew, if you like. Deployed 6 months and 6 months at home. »

- « Which means, Kay, we will have to talk to your COs. »

- « You have it, agent Hotchner. »

- « We take the BAU to a field trip to Germany? Does it mean I will finally see Em butching it up and wear a uniform? »

- « Oh my god Casey, you are a sick woman! »

« Aww, don't hate me Prentiss. Judging by your girlfriend's face, you might get lucky if you borrow some USMC ACUs » Casey grinned wickedly, while JJ JJ was blushing all the way up to the roots of her hair.  
>Prentiss landed a soundful slap on the Marine's head.<p>

- « Hey! Don't go all Gibbs on me, you know I'm right! »

- « You being right or wrong is beyond the point, it's my girlfriend you're talking about so behave! »

- « You're no fun Em » Casey pouted.

- « You'll finish this discussion on the jet, wheels up in 10. »

- « No, these 2 are not finishing anything anywhere, agent Hotchner, they are worse than a couple of 3 year olds when they start. »

- « Listen to your boss... and you call me no fun? »

- « She's my boss, she is supposed to be no fun. You, on the other hand, are my favourite victim of my relentless teasing. »

- « You're a lucky woman, princess » said a laughing Morgan.

- « I hate you all » grumbled Emily, walking away from the group to retrieve her go-bag.

- « In the jet, you will have to tell the story of how you 2 met tall, dark and brooding over there. »

- « Really Garcia? Tall, dark and brooding? »

- « You'd prefer I'd said Butch McSexy, JJ? »

- « Oh my god. Hotch, do you remember when you told me to remind you to get Garcia drug tested? The time has come! »

- « Do I wanna know what she said this time? »

- « I didn't say anything Sir, I was my always well-behaved self » Garcia said, batting her eyelashes. Hotch's eyebrows shot up on his forehead and the rest of the group exploded in raucous laughter.

* * *

><p><em>= In the jet, 18.30 GMT-5 =<em>

- « How many COs do you have Casey? »

- « 22, Dr Reid »

- « Garcia, can you find out if they all were deployed at the times of the rapes? »

- « Never doubt me or my babies, Reid! Ok, 3 weren't on one or more locations. Major MacKenzie was home in England for the birth of his son when the rape in Kosovo happened. Majors Weber and Clifford were at the hospital in Germany to treat injuries they sustained in Beirut. They weren't deployed in Kosovo or Chechnya. »

- « We're left with 19 suspects. Anything else to shorten the list baby girl? »

- « Not that I can find, my dark Apollo. »

- « Unless something new comes up, I suggest you all try to rest; We had a long day and the jet-lag won't help. »

An unanimous « Yes, Sir » was the answer to Hotch's suggestion.

Her eyes leaving the screen of her laptop, Garcia looked accross the aisle where JJ, Prentiss, Sørensen and Watson were seated.

- « Now that I don't have to look at gorey crime pictures and discuss about a deranged man, I believe I've been promised a story. »

- « No one promised you anything Garcia. »

- « Do I detect a faint trace of reluctance in your voice Prentiss? »

- « Don't encourage her Morgan! »

Leaning accross the table, Casey cupped her hand around JJ's ear and whispered « I guess they stopped behaving. »

Whispering back « I think you're right » managed JJ to say before laughing.

- « Em, our better halves seem to be in conspiratory mood, do you think we should be scared? »

- « I don't know. I sure wouldn't like to cross JJ when she is carrying. Which she is » chuckled Prentiss « wait! Did you say 'our better halves'? Casey and you? »

- « You really didn't notice? » asked Garcia, not believing the dark profiler could have missed it.

- « Why? Cause you did? »

- « Princess, we all did. » replied Morgan seriously.

- « We've been friends for years and they work together, I simply didn't read too much in their interactions. » Glaring at the women opposite her « why didn't you tell me? »

- « When were we suppose to tell you? You were gone and it was kinda hard to throw a 'by the way, Kay and I are in a relationship' when discussing a serial rapist. We thought you would have picked it up, being one of teh best profiler in the FBI and all » said Casey softly.

- « Reid, did you know they were a couple? »

- « I did. »

- « If even boy genius saw it, it's official, I am losing my touch » said Emily dejectedly.

Putting her right hand under Emily's chin so she would look at her, JJ talked to her softly, her voice full of love « Em, 2 of your friends you haven't seen in years showed up at the BAU to ask for our help and you discovered one of them is targeted by a serial rapist. You had a lot on your mind. »

Dropping a light kiss on JJ's cheek, Emily looked at her in the eyes « Thanks, Jennifer. »

- « Now that my favourite couple of FBI lovebirds kissed and made up, can we have the story of how Butch McSexy met our Viking goddess and her fiery redhead counterpart? »

- « Dear god Garcia, what are you on? » asked Emily while Morgan, JJ, Kay and Casey were laughing hard.

- « Red bull. So? I'm waiting! »


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is chapter 7, it's the longest one I've written so far (go me! lol) Lots of dialogue so if I messed up the layout, please let me know and I'll try to fix it ASAP**

= In the jet, 19.30 GMT-5 =

- « Emily and I are diplomats' kids. Our mothers met when stationned in the Middle East. As I'm a few years younger, Em took me under her wings. She helped me survived the boring parties we had to assist. »

- « Yup, that's me. Always here to save the day! »

- « Modest much, aren't we? »

- « Meh, don't be so disappointed, Kay, I'll teach you someday. »

- « It is so very kind of you, your highness. »

- « Oh my god, you 2 together are too much... why didn't we met her before? »

- « Garcia, this is exactly why you didn't met Kay before » Prentiss laughed.

- « She is right, you could have introduced us. »

- « Kay, you have way too many embarassing stories about me to tell and I know for a fact you love to embarass me. »

- « You had some fine moments, you have to admit as much. It's a miracle your mother never shipped you to some godforsaken place or a deserted island. I do remember a stunt you pulled at a 14th of july party we had to go to at the french embassy in the Emirates » said Kay mischievously.

- « I'm going to kill you Kaja! »

- « Now there, Kay, pray tell, what did my girlfriend do to irrate the ambassador? »

- « JJ, your lovely profiler thought it would be funny to spike the punch. »

- « All the guests were drunk, it was epic! And so worth the month I had to spend grounded when my mother found out I was the culprit. »

Garcia, Morgan, JJ, Reid and Casey were all shooking with laughter picturing a whole assembly of diplomats being drunk out of their minds.

- « My favourite memory of this party is probably when the wife of the french ambassador thought it would be perfectly fine to take a dive in the pool in her haute couture dress. »

- « I think the german vice-ambassador almost had a stroke seeing her in her wet and very clingy dress. »

- « Did you know they hooked up afterwards? »

- « You've got to be kidding me! How do you know? »

- « I walked on them making out in your mother's office. »

- « Speaking of making out, I should tell the story of when I caught you with your tongue shoved down the throat of my mother's chief of staff' son. What was his name? »

- « Ethan. He was cute. »

- « Calling an ex-boyfriend cute when your current girlfriend, who happens to be a Marine, is sitting right by your side, isn't the best idea you ever had. »

- « I meant cute for a 15 year old boy, Case » Kay backpedaled.

- « Nice save, lieutenant-colonel » said a laughing Morgan.

- « Ush, don't try to side-track this conversation Derek, I want to know what happened! »

- « Sorry baby girl »

- « As I said » Emily went on « I caught a 13 year old Kaja getting hot and heavy in the reception room of the american embassy. »

- « Em freaked out. In retrospect, her face was priceless. At the moment, I was mortified. Especially because she insisted we have 'the talk'. »

- « He was 15! »

- « Yes, and I was taller than him and could flip him around with 2 fingers. He wasn't going to do anything I didn't want to do. »

- « Still. You have no idea how happy I am you saw the light and jumped on my side of the fence. Scratch that. You gave up boys but chose the uniform. Maybe you should have remained straight and take a desk job » deadpanned Emily.

- « And miss all the fun, Em? I have an amazing girlfriend and the army even provided me with a bionic leg. Got nothing to complain about » said Kay, winking at Casey.

- « Speaking of amazing girlfriend, how did you meet Casey? »

- « We met at the hospital in Afghanistan 4 years ago. Talk about romantic location » Kay replied with a smile.

- « We shared a room for 2 days, Kay's sanitary flight had to be postponed because of the weather. She was doped to the moon. Kay and morphine is an hilarious combination. »

- « They just had cut off my leg, thank god I was high. At least I kept you entertained while you recovered from your concussion. »

- « And what a show it was! She was seeing trolls floating around the room and was yelling at them in norwegian, telling them to stop because they were making her dizzy. »

- « But it's true, they were making me dizzy! » said Kay indignantly.

The FBI agents were all laughing so hard they could barely breathe.

- « Please tell me there is a video somewhere » Garcia succeeded to say before laughing again.

- « Sorry »

- « Damn Kay, that's too bad. »

- « To tell Garcia and agent Morgan the truth, fact is there is a video » said a grinning Casey.

- « There is? What? Where? Who? Please tell me you are joking. »

- « I'm as serious as a Taliban holding a Stinger missile launcher. As for the where, it's on dvd. The who? Jake filmed it »

- « Jake as in private 2nd class Jake Winters of the USMC? I am going to kill him at the next bionic soldiers meeting. It is going to be slow and painful but I will kill him » Kay rambled.

- « Bionic soldiers? » asked a surprised Reid

- « Kay and a bunch of other amputated soldiers meet every month. Her 11 year old niece came up with the name and it stuck. »

- « I think it's quite a brilliant name. Better than 'amputated war vets' or 'soldiers who lost a limb in the war gathering' » chuckled Kay.

- « Have you been together since you met? » asked an ever curious Garcia

- « No, we were friends for almost 2 years before realising friendship was not enough anymore. I then applied for a transfer to the UN and when it was granted and I learned I was going to be in charge of a brand-new type of unit, I gave Casey a call. I needed someone I could trust and who knows how to get things done. »

- « I thought about it for about 3 seconds before saying yes. It was a unique opportunity. I would have accepted even if Kay wouldn't have been the one asking. After 2 tours in Irak and 2 tours in Afghanistan, I was sick of eating sand 24/7, and it made my family happy. Of course I still travel around the world but it's safer. A good part of my time is spent behind a desk, either in NYC or in the field. »

- « Em and I had to face the whole no-fraternization rule, how did you deal with the UN about your relationship? Not only that, but as a Marine, you had to submit to DADT, Casey! »

- « The UN is a different world. When Kay threw in my name to be her right hand, our boss knew we were a couple. As long we don't mix business and pleasure, as he puts it, and keep our private life private, he has no objection. As for DADT, being detached to the UN has its perks, it gave me a bit more latitude. Even if the Corps would have wanted to discharge me, it would have been a serious issue. My job is very specific, you can't replace me in a snap of the fingers. Kay and I don't flash our couple around, we came out when the repeal of DADT was being discussed but... oh my god! »

The shock in Casey's voice was unmistakable and made everyone's attention peak.

« What's wrong? » asked a very concerned Prentiss.

The trailing voice of Kay was the one providing the answer « We came out... »


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I really want to apologize for leaving you hanging like I have, I never meant to. I started a new job, began teaching again, I'm volunteering every saturday nights, my best friend had couple troubles and a very dear friend of mine had knee surgery and is sick since. I wasn't in the mood to write.**  
><strong>I am free this week so hopefully I'll be able to post a chapter daily, and who knows, maybe even finish the story.<strong>

**Without further ado, here is the long awaited chapter 8!**

* * *

><p><em>= In the jet, 20.30 GMT-5 =<em>

- « What's wrong? » asked a very concerned Prentiss.

The trailing voice of Kay was the one providing the answer « We came out... We came out as a couple in january last year, a few days before being deployed in Kabul. I never hid I was gay, there's no DADT in the norwegian army, but Casey's coming out and then the announce that we were together didn't go unnoticed. »

- « Did you receive any threat or reactions from your soldiers? » asked Hotch

- « No, most of them suspected it. The only reactions we got were them throwing us a party and a truckload of congratulations cards in 4 different languages. Who the hell would do such a thing? And it's not just a private we're talking about, he is one of our COs. Casey and I personally selected them! »

- « Knowing his anger is directed at you, did you ever received any unwanted attention? Or did any of your COs asked you out and you turned him down? »

- « Not that I can remember, agent Rossi. »

- « Kay and I commute between NYC, Stuttgart and wherever we're deployed at the moment. We don't live in close quarters 24/7/365 with the unit. Of course we have close relationships with a few, for example Kay likes to hang out with the Norwegians or play football with the Brits. I play softball with the boys and girls of the US Army, hockey with the Canadians and we both have a standing invitation to play Trivial Pursuit with the French whenever we're in Stuttgart or deployed. We're like a big multicultural family. »

- « Our unsub obviously knows how to hide his feelings. What is it with people and compartimentalizing? »

- « Hey, I resent this comment JJ! »

- « Of course you do Em, you're a master in the matter. »

- « Watch and learn, young grasshopper! »

- « Ladies and gentlement, the nerd has emerged! » Casey joked.

- « Children » said Hotch sternly.

The 3 women had the decency to blush.

- « Your coming-out must be his stressor, and his rage is directed towards Kay, that much is clear. But what about the muttering? »

- « Morgan made a valid point. 'It's payback', but payback for what? Turning him down? You being gay? And 'it should have been me' could be interpreted as much as envy for your job he thought he was entitled to get as well as romantic jealousy, with dating Casey and not you. »

- « So Reid, you're basically saying that our unsub is a rapist who likes to torture and mutilate women, with probable anger and jealousy issues, and possible latent homophobia. Real prince charming this one. » Emily snickered.

- « How can someone be so deranged without any of us noticing? The unit lives in close quarters and is under constant scrutiny. He has been fooling everybody for more than a year! »

- « You said it yourself Kay, your soldiers constitute an elite force inside the 'Blue Helmets'. They've seen some of the most horrible things humans can do to eachother. They are trained to not show their feelings and emotions, no one could have predicted one of your COs would snap. »

- « I know agent Morgan, I know. » said Kay in a heavy sigh. « I suggest we follow agent Hotchner's suggestion and try to get some sleep before our refuelling stop in London in 4h. We will land in Stuttgart at 04.30 Washington DC time, but it will be morning already in Germany and we will be able to start working right away. »

- « And we're not used to deal with the jet-lag in this direction either... oh my god, JJ will drink even more coffee than usual! »

- « Emily Prentiss, that's it, I am cutting you off! » said JJ sternly.

- « You're cutting me off sex? » asked Emily shocked.

- « No, I am cutting you off chocolate! »

Emily's desparate face made everyone aboard the jet laugh, relieving the tension which had been building, and helping them relaxing enough to be able to get some much needed rest.


	9. Chapter 9

_= Stuttgart, base cafeteria, 11.00 GMT+1 = _

- « I really could get used to live in Europe, this coffee has nothing to do with the beverage we are usually getting at whichever police station we have to camp in! » said JJ, a delighted smile gracing her features.

- « Kay, Casey, I strongly recommend you telling your kitchen staff to hide their coffee stock before our coffeine addict of a media liaison/profiler drinks it dry to the very last bean. »

- « I think you are right Garcia » answered Casey, a laugh clearly visible in her green eyes « Hey, John, under no circumstances is agent Jareau allowed near the coffee. »

- « Will do, Major. I take it she likes our homemade UN brew a bit too much for her own good? »

- « John, my girlfriend's love for coffee knows no limits. She is practically married with the coffee machine. »

- « Am not! » was JJ's indignant answer.

- « Yes you are, but I still love you. »

- « You better! »

In the meantime, John had made his way from the kitchen with a trolley covered in food and drinks, in case the FBI agents wanted a refill on their breakfasts. Bending forward just enough so Casey and Kay could hear him, he whispered « Lieutenant-colonel, Major, your friends are entertaining. »

- « You have no idea » Kay whispered back, before the 3 soldiers laughed.

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, conference room, 11.30 GMT+1 =<em>

- « SSA Hotchner, Rossi, Jareau, Morgan, Prentiss, Dr Reid, these are doctors Stieg Stoltenberg, Haakon Larsen, Hanne Aamodt and Silje Ødegård. They are the unit's psychiatrists, and as the names give it away, they are Norwegians. Silje and Haakon are attached to the 1st team, Stieg and Hanne are attached to the 2nd one, they were in permission in Norway but I asked them to fly in last night, I knew you wanted to talk to them. »

- « Thank you Kay » said Hotch, gratefully « and thank to the 4 of you for being here. »

Dr Silje Ødegård was the next one to speak

- « No problem, agent Hotchner. When the Lieutenant-colonel and Major called me last night to tell me what was going on, and after flying to the base and talking with Hanne, Haakon and Stieg, we realised the patient-doctor privilege was going to be a problem. As the head of the psychological team, I called NYC to ask what we could do. The legal counsellor allowed us to lift the privilege, if we think the informations disclosed can help or solve the case. You are not allowed to read the files yourselves though, I am sorry » said the doctor apologetically.

- « We understand, doctor » said Rossi « To be honest, I wasn't expecting you collaborating so fully with us. »

- « I am sure the Lieutenant-colonel and the Major already gave you the pep-talk, but we want to stop him as much as you do, if not more. We respect our deontology to the letter, but having a member of our own force on a raping, mutilating and killing spree sounded to us to be a pretty good reason to make an exception and bend the rule as much as possible without having to break it. » added Dr Stieg Stoltenberg.

- « Hotch, I like the norwegian no-nonsense approach. Makes our job so much easier. Maybe we should relocate the BAU to Oslo. »

- « Don't tempt me Morgan, Strauss would allow it. »

- « Did boss man just made a joke? Miracles do happen! I so have to play at the lottery today! »

- « Doctors, this is Penelope Garcia, our technical analyst. Maybe you could get her drug-tested after we close this case. »

The 4 doctors looked utterly incredulous while the agents and soldiers were all laughing at Hotch's suggestion. Seeing their expressions, Casey took pity on them

- « Don't ask, I'll explain to you later. »

Once the atmosphere was serious again, Hotch issued his orders

- « Morgan, Prentiss, go to the crime scene. JJ, Reid, talk to the german police. Rossi and I will stay on the base and talk with the doctors. Kay, Casey, could you find a place for Garcia to install her materiel? »

- « Of course. Garcia, Major Clifford will accompany you to the tactical room and help you with everything you may need. Emily, agent Morgan, Major MacKenzie will drive you to the crime scene; Casey, can you take agent Jareau and Dr Reid to the _Polizei_? »

The redheaded Marine curtly nodded her accord.

- « I have to stay here and see how we will deal with the press about this. Rolf is going to have a field day, it will be a complete circus. Thank god for small mercies, he is German! »

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, crime scene, 11.30 GMT+1 =<em>

- « There's not enough blood, he didn't attack and mutilate her here. It's only the dump site. » turning towards the german police officer, Prentiss asked « Do you have an ID? »

- « Not yet Ma'am. We agree with your observation though, she wasn't killed here. We're much too close from the motorway and the base, anyone could have seen what was happening. »

- « He wanted her to be found, and quickly. »

- « Morgan? »

- « Look around you Prentiss. Why leaving her body in plain sight so close from a major road when the woods are less than a 100m away? He could have buried her body and who knows if she would even have been found. »

- « He is either completely losing his grip on reality or he is taunting us. Seeing as we're still in the dark, I'd go with option 2. We have to force him to do a mistake. » Grabbing her phone, Prentiss called Hotch « Hotch, can you ask Kay if we can go public and announce the FBI is collaborating with the UN and the _Polizei_? We need to drag him out of the shadows and it may push his buttons. »

- « I'll talk with her, it could work. Did you found anything? »

- « It was only the dump site, we don't have much more. »

- « OK Prentiss, go meet up with Reid and JJ, hopefully the Germans have informations. »

- « On our way » said Prentiss before hanging up. « Come on Morgan, we're going. Major MacKenzie, can you drive us to the police station? »

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, police station, 11.30 GMT+1 =<em>

- « I'm Major Casey Watson, US Marine Corps, detached to the UN. These are SSA Jennifer Jareau and Dr Spencer Reid from the FBI. »

- « I'm Polizeioberkommissar Steffanie Bankhauser and this is Polizeihauptmeister Andreas Hirrschmüller. Welcome in Baden-Württemberg, even if I'd have hoped for better circumstances to meet you. »

Shaking hands, JJ easily slipped into her media liaison role

- « Thank you very much for allowing us to work with you, I know we have no jurisdiction here and you could simply shut us out your investigation. »

- « It's our pleasure and honor. I imagine you have to face a lot of stubborn law enforcement members, but not all of us do this job to read our names splashed at the front page of the newspapers. I can only speak for Andreas and myself, but we are very happy to get the BAU's help. Maybe you'll teach us a few tricks too. » said the Polizeioberkommissar warmly.

- « Could you please walk us through your investigation and tell us what you have so far? »

- « Of course Dr Reid. Andreas? »

- « The body was found at 22.45 our time by a motorway patrol, they called us immediately and we arrived on scene 10 minutes later. Our M.E. did the first observations before sending the body to the morgue. She finished the autopsy an hour ago and is now writing her report and waiting for test results. She is also waiting your visit. »

- « Thank you. We are ready to go talk to... Morgan? Prentiss? What are you doing here? »

- « The crime scene hadn't much to tell us, so Hotch sent us here. » Turning to the german police officers, Morgan did the introductions « sorry for the interruption. I'm SSA Derek Morgan, and this is SSA Emily Prentiss. »

- « It's ok agent Morgan, you're not interrupting. I might even say your timing is perfect, Andreas and I were about to take your teammates to the M.E.'s office. »

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, morgue, 12.00 GMT+1 =<em>

- « Steffie, Andreas! I was expecting you sooner! »

- « Sorry doc, the FBI arrived only a few minutes ago. Dr Sofie Schmidt, these are SSA Jareau, Prentiss, Morgan and Dr Reid. »

- « Nice to meet you all » said the M.E. with a smile « I imagine you don't have time to lose so I'll go straight to the point. We identified our victim 10 minutes ago, her name is Konstanze Zimmermann, 29. She was an accountant for Porsche and was also volunteering as a firefighter, which is why her prints were in the system. Major MacKenzie tranferred me the files of the previous assaults and I haven't much to add about the rape. The M.O. is identical, he used a condom this time around too. Now the cuts made to remove her leg are interesting. He used a combat knife, as you probably deduced from the pictures I sent you earlier, but he used a very special type of knife: the Eickhorn KM2000 NATO. It's standard equipment in the Bundeswehr, the german army. »

- « The communications liaison is German... »

- « Doctor Reid, he could very well be innocent. The knife is very popular and available on the internet and any good hunting store. »

- « So we're back to square one » said a slightly disappointed Morgan.

Before anyone else could speak, Dr Schmidt's phone rang and after a short conversation in german, she looked at the 2 police officers and 4 FBI agents

- « Maybe not. That was the lab. They've found a speck of blood which doesn't belong to Konstanze. »


	10. Chapter 10

_= Stuttgart, morgue, 12.15 GMT+1 =_

- « She was a firefighter, she was strong and put up a fight. He either didn't know it, which makes her a victim of opportunity; or he knew and she surprised him. Either way, he made a mistake and offered us a lead on a silver platter. »

- « I agree with you, Polizeioberkommissar. Judging by his track record, I am tempted to say she was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't think he stalks his victims before attacking them. He doesn't have the time to do so, he acts on impulse. »

- « JJ is onto something there. I am going to call Dr Ødegård and ask if they noticed a CO being short-tempered lately. » said Reid before stepping in the corridor to make his call.

- « I should get the results of the lood tests within the hour, I'll email them to you, as I assume I can't access the military medical records. »

- « I'm sorry doctor. »

- « I understand Major Watson. I trust you, I know you won't try to cover this up, even if the resulting scandal could cost you your position. »

The surprise was obvious on Casey's face. « I... thank you. »

- « My cousin served under your command in Afghanistan during a joint operation in Kandahar. You saved his life and got shot in the process. You won't back down until you'll get your man arrested, like you didn't hesitate to put your life on the line to get one of your man out, in what was, and I quote my cousin _'A suicide move, especially coming from a CO.' »_

- « It's a small world we live in... Thank you for your trust doctor, I'll keep you informed as much as I can. »

- « I wouldn't even have dreamt of you keeping in the loop. Anyway, enough with the mushy talk. We won't have the DNA results before tomorrow morning, I put it as top priority but we're not on CSI, science takes time. » said Dr Schmidt with a small laugh.

Reid chose this moment to step back into the morgue

- « Hotch wants us back at the base as soon as we're done here. »

- « Dr, please excuse our very tactless boy genius over here » said Prentiss, a very contrite look on her face.

- « Don't worry, I know you profilers are a different kind of people who tend to forget even the most basic formalities » said the M.E. with a wink towards the FBI agents.

- « I officially am in love with Europe. I might even hide to avoid having to take the jet back to the States. »

- « JJ, I'm sure I can find you a job on the base, but I don't think Em will let me hire her girlfriend. »

- « Indeed, don't even try to pull such a stunt Casey. »

- « You're not scaring me, I'm a Marine » Casey smirked before turning serious again « We have to go back to the base. Thank you again for your help doctor, it's highly appreciated. »

- « I'm only doing my job Major »

- « Oberkommissar and Hauptmeister, would you like to join us? The more help we can get, the better. »

- « Thank you for the offer Major. Doc, it's always a pleasure working with you. »

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, conference room, 13.00 GMT +1 =<em>

- « Following Dr Reid's idea, we consulted our files again but couldn't find anything. We also asked our medical unit if a CO came over to treat a cut, scratch or any type of injury which would cause a blood loss and came up empty again. » said Dr Hanne Aamodt « Your technical analyst is currently looking at hospitals and clinics, and contacted all the pharmacies and doctors in a 5km range. It's a long shot but maybe we'll get lucky. »

- « It was a good call Dr Aamodt » said Rossi reassuringly.

Garcia chose this moment to barge into the room, carrying her laptop and a can of Red Bull.

- « The M.E. sent me her report, the blood tests should follow in the next 5 min. »

- « On the screen Garcia »

- « Yes boss man, as long as you don't ask me to look at these pictures again. »

The starkly clinical of Konstanze Zimmermann laying on the autopsy table lit up the screen.

- « Add beaten to the list. She has massive bruising on her torso and I'm pretty sure her jaw is broken. »

- « It is, Emily. As well as 5 ribs, her right shoulder is dislocated, left hand fractured... She fought hard before he broke her neck. » added JJ « Time of death is put around 2h before she was found. »

- « No fibers, no hair, no other traces except blood and the dirt from the ground. The M.E. believes he washed her... »

A beeping sound interrupted Steffanie Bankhauser's summary, and Garcia looked at her laptop.

- « The blood type results are here. He is A+ »

- « It's the 2nd most common blood type in the world. »

- « Then Reid, it's lucky for us we don't have to look at 6 billions of people but only 19 » said a somewhat relieved Prentiss.

- « Garcia? »

- « Comparing to the medical records as we speak! We're down to 9 names Hotch. »

- « Kay, are you thinking about what I am thinking? »

- « If you think that 9 names are 8 too many, then Casey, the answer to your question is yes. »

- « It's not what I was thinking about but it's also true. Garcia, cross-check these 9 names with their work schedules and whereabouts in the past 24h. »

- « Your wishes are my command, my redheaded Marine. » which earned Garcia an eye roll from Kay and a chuckle from Casey.

- « You really should go easy on the Red Bull baby girl »

- « My chocolate Apollo, why in the world would I... »

- « PG? »

- « I've got him! »


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: This chapter is brought to you by your humble servant, a bag of chips, pints of tea and my very own writing playlist (yup, I listen to music when writing!)**

**A friend of mine, who listens to my nerdy rants in the middle of the night about the history of former Yugoslavia and answers my questions without wanting to strangle me, (you know who you are ;) Hvala lijepa!) « complained » and requested that I write some more sentimental stuffs.  
>I am not comfortable writing sex scenes (my best friend calls me a prude, I blame it on my french education and culture lol) so unless someone collaborates with me, there won't be any M rated material.<strong>

**Anyway, here's chapter 11, sprinkled with a tad bit of mushiness. I hope you'll like it!**

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, conference room, 13.40 GMT+1 =<em>

- « I've got him! » Garcia's 4 words made all the heads in the room snap up « Meet the creepy sicko of the week: Captain Sean Cavanaugh, US Army, 31, from Boston. Joined the military in '97 at the age of 17 and has been deployed all around the world since. Single. No family. »

- « Cavanaugh? The same Cavanaugh who a few months ago was making balloons out of surgical gloves to amuse wounded lybian kids is our unsub? I can't believe it... »

- « We can't be sure before getting the DNA results tomorrow, Kay, but the evidences are all pointing in his direction... »

- « And our hands are tied until then. The rules we established to allow you on this investigation are crystal clear: we need absolute certitude. Matching blood type and schedule are strong suspicions but not enough for an arrest. »

- « Casey, it's only a matter of hours. We'll get him. »

- « I know agent Morgan, and I usually am patient, but the life of the woman I love may be on the line so the sooner we end this nightmare, the sooner I can relax. »

- « Garcia, where is the captain now? » asked a concerned Rossi.

- « Leading an exercise outside the base, he is due back tomorrow afternoon. »

- « Are we sure of this? »

- « Are you doubting me Morgan? »

- « Never baby girl. Only double-checking. »

- « Bring me another Red Bull and you'll be forgiven, Derek Morgan. To answer your question, I'm sure. He is forming 30 french and canadian soldiers with Major Weber. I highly doubt he will be able to sneak out. »

- « We had a long 24h, and as we can't do anything before tomorrow... You are free to do whatever you want. We meet here at 9.00 tomorrow morning. Kay, as a precautionary measure, I don't want you alone, even for a few seconds. I doubt Casey will let you out of her sight anyway. »

- « I think you might be right about this, agent Hotchner » after a slight pause, Kay pursued « so, what do you think about Casey and I showing you around? You can play tourists and take tons of pictures of the city. »

- « It's the first time ever we'll visit something else than precincts and crime scenes! » squealed Garcia, who was so excited she was practically bouncing around like a Duracell bunny.

- « I take Garcia's reaction as a yes » a laughing Casey said. « Boys, Major MacKenzie will show you your quarters. Em, JJ and Garcia, you come with Kay and me. »

- « Rendezvous at the front entrance in an hour » Kay added.

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, Emily &amp; JJ's room, 14.00 GMT+1 =<em>

- « There you go ladies, 1 room with double bed and en suite bathroom. I hope you'll enjoy the VIP treatment. »

- « Jesus Christ on a crutch Case! Is your mind ever out of the gutter? »

- « Let me think Em... Nope! »

A laughing Kay interrupted the banter between Casey and Emily

- « I will now take my sex-obsessed girlfriend with me and let you 2 getting settled. See you in a few » said Kay before closing the door.

JJ let herself drop unceremoniously on the bed.

- « Alone at last! I was starting to think we would never have some time to relax, we've been working almost non-stop for the past 24h. »

- « You should nap Jennifer. I'll shower, get changed and I'll wake you up when I'm done. »

- « Sounds heavenly. Thanks Em. »

- « Anytime. Sleep now. »

- « So bossy, Em. »

- « You like it. »

- « You wish! » said JJ, causing Emily to clutch at her chest theatrically.

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, Kay &amp; Casey's quarters, 14.10 GMT+1 =<em>

- « Hold me. »

These 2 words were whispered so softly, Casey almost didn't hear them. For the first time since the manhunt started, she realised how shaken up Kay really was and mentally kicked herself for not noticing sooner.

- « We'll get him Kaja, I promise you »

- « No, you promise me you won't do anything recklessly stupid or stupidly reckless! »

Kay's grey eyes were boring into Casey's green ones.

- « I promise » let Casey out in a sigh.

- « I know I'm asking a lot from you but if anything happens to you because of me, I... I... I will never forgive myself Case! »

Kay's voice broke on the last words and she launched herself into Casey's embrace, resting her head on the Marine's right shoulder and breaking down in tears. After minutes that seemed like hours, a calmer Kay pulled herself away from Casey's tight hug. Pushing a lock of stray blonde hair behind the Norwegian's ear, Casey spoke

- « Why don't you go take a shower and put on some civilian clothes while I prepare our bag? Don't give me this look, I know you want to take the bunch of crazies who call themselves profilers to the spa. »

Casey's description of the BAU members brought a small smile to Kay's lips.

- « They're crazy, aren't they? » letting her voice trail for a second and searching for the Marine's eyes, Kay resumed speaking « Thank you, Casey Watson. »

- « What for? »

- « Loving me. »

- « You are oh so very welcome, Kaja Sørensen » Casey whispered before kissing Kay softly.

- « I better take this shower now. If we're late, Em will never let us hear the end of it. »

Walking towards the bathroom, Kay stopped at the door.

- « Case? Don't forget to pack my folding cane. »

- « Once, Kay! I forgot to pack it once! » replied a huffing and puffing Casey « You will never let me live this down, will you? »

- « Not if I can help it » quipped Kay before disappearing into the bathroom.

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, Emily &amp; JJ's room, 14.25 GMT+1 =<em>

- « Jen? Jennifer, wake up, someone wants to talk to you. »

- « Mpffff » came JJ's groan from inside the pillow her head was buried into « if it's Hotch, tell him I will shoot him as soon as I will be able to open my eyes. »

- « I'd pay a lot of money to see this, but sorry to disappoint you, it's not Hotch. »

- « Stop smirking and give me the phone, Emily Prentiss. »

Blindly reaching for the cell phone Emily was giving her, JJ muttered an annoyed « Agent Jareau »

- « Mommy! How are you? »

Suddenly awake, JJ bolt up and sat up straight at the edge of the bed.

- « Henry? I miss you so much my baby boy! »

- « I go to school and can write my name, I am not a baby anymore Mommy! »

Picturing her son's scowling face in her head, JJ had to repress a laugh

- « You will always be my baby, Henry. How are you? What are you doing today? »

- « I helped Granny making chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast! »

- « And the kitchen is still standing? It's a miracle! »

- « Mommy, you're silly » said a laughing Henry « Granpa is taking me to the park now, we're going to play football, eat ice cream and feed the duckies! »

JJ could hear the excitation in her son's voice.

- « That's great! » she beamed. « Henry, mommy has to go back to work. I promise I will be home soon. Be nice to your grandparents, ok? I love you very much »

- « Love you too Mommy! » a slightly hyper Henry said before hanging up.

- « Em, you are the most amazing girlfriend in history. Thank you, it's exactly what I needed. »

- « I'd do anything to make you happy and see you smile, Jennifer. »

- « Come here, so I can kiss you senseless before I hop in the shower so we can meet the others and be on time. I don't want to imagine how much Casey will tease us if we show up even a single minute late »

- « I don't want to find out either. God knows this woman is worse than a pitbull when she has a bone to chew on » mumbled Prentiss before her and JJ explode in laughters.

**Note: Living in Europe and being half-French and half-Norwegian, on my side of the pond football of course means soccer ;)**


	12. Chapter 12

_= Stuttgart, front gate of the base, 15.00 GMT+1 =_

- « We thought we'd take you to the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums, show you a bit around the inner city and then go to the spa. I'm sure Dr Reid willl greatly enjoy the architecture and history of Stuttgart, and we figured we could use some relaxation time, hence the spa. We also happen to know an excellent swabian restaurant located not to far away from the new castle »

- « Spa? Did you say you are taking us to the spa Casey?

- « Indeed, I did say so JJ »

JJ's gaze was flicking back and forth between Kay and Casey, her eyes wide and jaw slack. Emily poked her lightly in the ribs, receiving no reaction.

- « I think you broke her » let out an amused Garcia.

- « I think so too. Goddammit Case, do you know how hard it was to find someone who would put up with me? »

- « I am painfully aware of the difficulty. In fact, I think it's a miracle you even have a girlfriend at all Em. JJ must be a saint. Remind me to give her a medal as soon as her brain defreezes » said a grinning Casey.

- « Oh shush you 2! Do you have any idea when was the last time I went to the spa? It's been so long I don't even remember! Between Henry and work, I don't have time. Wait! We don't have bathing suits! »

Reassuring JJ, Kay said « Don't worry, you can buy 1 at the spa's store »

- « Well then, what are we waiting for? » said JJ enthusiastically, jumping into the UN minivan and waiting for the others to join her.

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, spa, 20.00 GMT+1 =<em>

- « Circumstances put aside, I had a great time today » said JJ between 2 sips of her smoothie.

- « My chocolate hunk of burning love sure liked the museums. He was as hyper as a kid in a candy store. For a moment, I was afraid he was going to burst out from excitement. »

- « I agree with Garcia, it was nice to see agent Morgan relax and enjoy himself so much. »

- « Kay, don't tell anyone but behind this dark armor of his, my FBI Apollo is a total softie. »

Pointing at Garcia, Kay asked in a stage whisper « JJ, Em, is she for real? »

- « I think the Red Bull must be wearing off, she isn't as insane as usual » JJ deadpanned

- « You're so right, I need a refill! Where's my hotstuff? »

- « And we've lost her » Em laughed.

Laying even further down in her chair and closing her eyes, JJ said « Mmmmh, this spa is absolutely magnificent, I love it »

- « JJ, did you know this mineral spa is the 2nd largest one in Europe after the ones in Budapest, Hungary? »

Cracking one eye open, JJ gave Reid her patented glare

- « Boy wonder, I'm relaxing here. No shop talk and no going all wikipedia on me » cutting Reid before he could speak « Yes I know, wikipedia is inaccurate, your brain isn't. I don't care. Right now all I wanna know is where I can get a massage. »

- « Come on, oh grumpy one, I'll show you » Casey chuckled.

- « See, at least Casey cares about my well-being. See you all later! »

- « Em, remind me to never get on your girlfriend's bad side »

- « Wise decision, Kay, very wise decision. » replied Prentiss laughingly, before turning serious « how are you feeling Kaja? »

- « I'm not going to lie, I had better days but I am ok. I just want to be over with all this and go back to do the job I absolutely love doing. »

- « I know. Just hang in there a little while longer. »

Emily bent forward to lightly squeeze Kay's hand before releasing it.

- « Come on Em, let's go for a swim! Anyone else wanna join us? »

Reid lifted his eyes from the book he was reading long enough to shake his head; Morgan, Rossi and Hotch signalled they weren't going to leave the jacuzzi they were sitting in and Garcia was too busy ogling Morgan to hear the question.

- « Looks like it's just you and me, Kay. »

- « Some things never change... like the fact I will win this race! »

- « How do you plan on doing this, seeing you stored your left leg in your locker? » Prentiss said, sticking her tongue out at Kay.

- « Very mature, Prentiss. It's all you've got? »

- « Grab your cane and I'll show you! »

- « Brag! » said Kay while simultaneously poking Emily's ribcage with her cane.

Looking at the 2 women who were joking and teasing eachother, Morgan turned towards the 2 agents sitting in the jacuzzi along with him.

- « Do you realise how lucky we are to be working with Prentiss and Kaja? They're smart, strong, caring, beautiful and unbelievably resilient... »

His eyes trained on the women who were now engrossed in a water fight, Hotch murmured « Incredibly lucky » which earned him an agreeing nod from Rossi.

- « Garcia, JJ and Casey are something else too, each in their own fashion. It might surprise you both, coming from an old catholic italian guy like me but I admire and respect them all tremendously. »

- « You and me both Rossi, you and me both » was Morgan's reply.

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, restaurant 21.30 GMT+1 =<em>

- « The spa sure did its job, I'm relaxed... and starving! »

- « Then we've taken you to the right place, you won't remain starved for long JJ. »

- « Casey's right, this _'Gasthaus'_ serves some of the best swabian specialities you will ever have the opportunity to taste. »

- « Em, you may want to hand a napkin to your girlfriend, I think Kay's food talk made her drool uncontrollably. Hey! Did you just fist-bumped my shoulder? What was that for JJ? »

- « Making fun of me. You can consider yourself lucky I had to leave my gun at the base, Casey. »

- « Prentiss, I'd like to amend my earlier statement: I am no longer sure your blonde better half is so much of a saint after all. »

Having been to the loo, Garcia only caught the end of the conversation

- « My delightful redheaded Marine, did you just call our JJ a saint? You obviously need to go out with us more often. Morgan swallowed his tongue the night she gave Butch McSexy over here a lapdance in the club we were at. »

- « Oh my god Garcia, really? Way to not embarass me at all » muttered JJ, whose complexion had turned a deep shade of red.

- « She sure has talent. Did you took classes? »

- « Of course, you would know how to recognize a good lapdance, Rossi, wouldn't you? »

Morgan's statement caught Rossi off-guard and he spluttered his white wine all over the table.

- « Morgan 1 – 0 Rossi » Hotch deadpanned, making the whole table laugh wholeheartedly at the older profiler's infortune.

For a few hours, the BAU agents and UN soldiers forgot their cases and relaxed, enjoying the food, drinks, and eachother's company.

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, Emily &amp; JJ's room, 00.15 GMT+1 =<em>

Feeling Prentiss toss and turn in the bed beside her, JJ asked

- « Em, you ok? »

- « Yeah, just not used to the bed. »

- « Emily Prentiss, did you really just lied to me? »

- « Sorry Jen, old habit. I'm worried about tomorrow. I have this gut feeling I can't shake, like something's wrong or we're missing something. »

Over the years, JJ had learned to trust Emily's instincts, they were only very rarely wrong. Holding her arms open, she patted her left shoulder

- « Come here »

Sighing gratefully, Emily layed her head in the crook of JJ's neck, lightly pecking the skin there, before snuggling even further into JJ's side.

- « Jennifer? »

- « Hmm? »

- « Thank you. »

- « Love you too Em » were the last words Emily heard before drifting off to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

_= Stuttgart, conference room, GMT+1 =_

All the BAU members but Garcia, who was in the tactical room with her babies, were sitting around the table waiting for the arrivals of the 2 german police officers and the 2 UN task force commandants. A mere couple of minutes later, the door opened and Steffanie and Andreas slipped inside, Kay and Casey on their heels.

- "_Guten Morgen_. Sorry for being late, we were waiting for the DNA results at the station so we could give them to you live and in person." After pausing for a couple of seconds to make sure she had everyone's attention, Steffanie Bankhauser resumed talking "100% match. It's him."

Even if Kay expected to hear this, having her suspicions confirmed without the shadow of a doubt was still a hard blow to take and she let herself drop heavily and unceremoniously on the nearest chair. Sighing loudly, she spoke in a somewhat tired voice

- "Alright then... As we're on german soil and the latest victim was German, the _Polizei_ has jurisdiction. Steffie?"

- "Thank you Lieutenant-Colonel. Indeed, the arrest falls into our hands, but we made a deal with the UN and the US Army. We arrest Cavanaugh outside the base, he will be tried here in Germany for the rape, torture and murder of Konstanze Zimmermann, before being sent to the US to be court-martialed and serve his time."

Andreas took up where Steffie left off.

- " Now regarding the arrest in itself, we negociated with our boss, Steffie and I will be the only German LEOs present."

- "No offence, but how are the 2 of you planning to arrest an elite soldier?"

- "None taken, agent Morgan. Steffie and I convinced our boss to use the BAU, the Major, and the Lieutenant-Colonel as back-up. It's the least we could do, we owe you. Without your help and cooperation... "

The German didn't finish his sentence and the room fell silent for long seconds before a cough coming from the loudspeaker on the table could be heard.

- "I'm sorry for interrupting the cuteness of this moment, but our lovely unsub called Major MacKenzie. He is on his way back to the base. ETA 90 minutes."

- "Already, Garcia? But he shouldn't be back before this afternoon?" a bewildered Casey let out.

- "Apparently one of your trainee knocked him out cold during a close-combat exercise. A canadian soldier is driving him as we speak to get him checked out by your medical unit."

- "Steffie, it's your jurisdiction. Kay, it's your base and your man. How do you wanna proceed?"

The 2 women turned their gazes toward Hotch before looking at each other. Kay grabbed a pen and a piece of paper, scribbling down and drawing while both women were talking to each other quickly in german. After a few minutes, they stopped talking and looked at the heteroclite assembly in front of them. Kay was the first one to speak.

- "Hotch, what does the profile say?"

- "Dave?"

- "He is motivated by revenge, he also feels betrayed by you. I guess you want to know how the arrest will go... He won't go down without a fight."

- "Suicide by cop? Are you sure Rossi?"

- "His back is against the wall, Reid. I bet the royalties of my next book he will try something."

- "Then for the sake of your bank account, let's hope you're right, my literate profiling legend."

- "Garcia!"

- "You're right, I can do better than this. I'll think about another nickname while you'll get ready to lock up the evil guy in the dungeon and rescue our delightful blonde norwegian princess. Garcia, over and out!"

- "Wow, she came up with some crazy comments in the past, but this one is on a category of its own." let out a JJ who was oscillating between utter shock and complete amusement.

- "I really need to get her drug tested" muttered Hotch, wrinkling his eyebrows.

Now that the tension in the room had lessened a bit, thanks to the technical analyst, Morgan wanted to hear the plan Steffie and Kay had designed.

- "So, how are we going to get this show on the road?"

Once again, the German and Norwegian looked at each other, before Kay nodded almost imperceptibly, allowing Steffie to do the explanations.

- "Kay is providing us with radios, we'll be in contact with each other at all times. Andreas is going to wait in a parked car 50m from the base's entrance, he will be the one adverting us from Cavanaugh's arrival. As soon as the car stops at the checkpoint, Andreas will park right behind Cavanaugh's car, cutting any escape attempt. Casey will be positioned as sniper on the roof of the garage, while the rest of us will fan out and hold him at gunpoint. "

Kay looked around the room

- "Any questions? No? Then let's get ready."


	14. Chapter 14

_= Stuttgart, _front gate of the base_, 10.35 GMT+1 =_

- "Andreas, still nothing?" Steffie's tense voice said in his earpiece.

- "_Nein_... Wait. Here he is. ETA 30 sec."

- "Everyone ready?"

- "Yes" replied 7 voices in unison.

- "Andreas, block him! Unsub at a stop in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Go, go, go!"

As soon as the BAU members and Kay heard Steffie's command, they fanned out in a slight encircling motion. At the same time, Andreas abruptly stopped almost against the car's back bumper before jumping out of his own car and drawing out his gun.

- "Well, well, well... I see you finally figured it out, Lieutenant-Colonel" Cavanaugh drawled from inside the car.

- "Captain Cavanaugh, slowly go out of the car with your hands above your head" Steffie ordered.

- "What, the _Polizei _has jurisdiction? Well, that's funny and unexpected I must say" Cavanaugh snorted.

- "Sean, get out of the car right now or I will shoot you!"

- "Hey now Lieutenant-Colonel, you can't shoot someone who doesn't present an immediate threat, can you?"

They all could hear the smile in his voice, and Prentiss whispered in her mic

- "I don't like this at all. I've got a very bad feeling, something isn't right. He shouldn't be this cocky."

Reid's answer was barely above a whisper but they all could hear him as loud and clear as he'd shouted from the top his voice.

- "Emily's right. He is way too calm. We need to get the driver out of the car."

- "Captain Cavanaugh, I'm SSA Hotchner from the BAU, a branch of the FBI. Can we talk?"

- "Sure we can talk, agent. How about you all drop your weapons and let me go with my prize?"

- "You know we can't do this."

- "Why, are you afraid I will hurt her? I would never do such a thing. All I want is for her to be happy with me, I know that deep down she loves me."

- "You raped 8 women and killed Konstanze, Captain, you already hurt her."

Cavanaugh shrugged.

- "These women meant nothing to me, agent Hotchner. At most, they were collateral damages."

Cavanaugh's voice was eerily calm, sending shivers down the spines of the seasoned BAU agents standing in front of him.

- "I'm gonna ease the tension of this Mexican stand-off and let private Lewis go out of the car, but the blonde FBI agent is the one who will come to retrieve him."

- "JJ?"

- "Hotch! You can't let her do this!"

- "Morgan, it's OK. Captain Cavanaugh, my name is agent Jareau. I will slowly walk towards the car now."

Glancing briefly to her left where Prentiss was standing, she gave the older woman a smile. Prentiss responded by a smile of her own which conveyed to JJ, without needing words, to be careful and that she loved her.

Holding her gun firmly, JJ walked slowly towards the driver' side of the car, making sure to not do any brusque movement. She stopped a meter away from the door, took a steadying breath that she released slowly, her gun unwavering and pointed to the man sitting on the passenger' seat.

- "Captain, I will now slowly open the door so Private Lewis can step out. I will not hesitate to shoot."

- "I wouldn't expect anything of you, agent Jareau. Now, Private, thanks for the ride and get out of the car."

Her gun in her right hand, JJ opened the door with her left hand.

- "Private, unfasten your seat belt very slowly and step out carefully."

And then, all hell broke loose.

One second JJ was in control, the next one she had a gun against her right temple, her gun was on the ground and Private Lewis was using her as a human shield. This, and the fact that they both were partially covered by the open door didn't give Casey a clean shot.

Cavanaugh was now outside the car, right by Private Lewis' side.

- "So, agent Hotchner, do you still want to talk with me? The conversation will be much more interesting now."

- "You son of a bitch!" was Kay's answer.

- "Well now, is the unshakable Lieutenant-Colonel Kaja Sørensen losing her nerves? It must be a first."

- "We both know it's me you want, so I will come to you and you will let her go."

For the second time in less than a minute, Captain Cavanaugh surprised them. He started to laugh.

- "You, Lieutenant-Colonel? Oh no, I never wanted you. You were my bait, my decoy, and you all fell for it."

A devilish grin etching his lips, Cavanaugh pointed at one of the remaining women.

- "I want her."


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks to you all for the reviews, you rock!**

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, front gate of the base, 10.45 GMT+1 =<em>

- "I want her... Hello Jennifer." Cavanaugh whispered into JJ's ear. "You look even more beautiful now than when we met. Being a mother suits you."

- "Get away from me! And don't call me Jennifer, scumbag." JJ growled through gritted teeth.

As she was still wearing both her earpiece and mic, they could all hear crystal clear what was happening. Prentiss couldn't stop herself from thinking: _'Jen, now is __NOT a good time to show you are a kick-ass FBI agent and not a random sweet little blonde from a small town in rural Pennsylvania!' _Luckily for both women, Rossi was the quickest one to get over the shock of what just unfolded before their eyes and slipped into his negotiator suit.

- "Captain Cavanaugh, my name is SSA David Rossi. We all want the same thing: to keep agent Jareau safe, so let's talk, shall we?"

- "Talk, agent Rossi, you wanna talk? And what would you like to talk about?"

- "I would like to talk about you."

- "Ah, the legendary Dave Rossi, one of the founding fathers of the BAU would like to talk about me... Don't look so shocked, I did my homework. Funny how easy it is to find everything one want on the internet, isn't it? I'm sorry about your ex-wife by the way, but at least she made the choice to go on her own terms. Which is more than the majority of us can expect."

Rossi recognized Cavanaugh's tactic for what it was and didn't took the bait.

- "Why agent Jareau, Captain?"

- "She is beautiful, smart, caring, funny. She is perfect, a real angel. I knew I had to have her the second I saw her. Do you remember the first time we met, Jennifer?"

- "Sorry but I don't go out with serial offenders."

- "Are you angry at me because of the 8 women? You don't have to be, they were only a way to bring you to me. And here you are. I've dreamt of this moment since that night in that DC bar. Your top was riding up every time you threw a dart, I was dying to touch you to see if your skin was as soft as it looked. And then the way you said _'sorry boys' _and touched my shoulder before leaving... Do you know how many times I've replayed this moment in my head? I decided I had to know more about you, followed you, discovered your name and that you were working for the FBI. A few days later I got deployed, then joined the UN. I wasn't much in the US the past few years but I kept monitoring your life from afar. I have a buddy working at Quantico, I met him at the fire range there once and you were there too. I saw how deadly accurate you are. He told me you had to shoot a man in the bullpen a few days prior, he had tried to kill your technical analyst. Shooting through a window, when your target is turning his back to you and is holding an hostage isn't easy, and still... Perfect shot. I've wanted you even more since. You started dating this New Orleans detective, he seemed to be a decent guy. I found out you were pregnant and was happy for you. Of course, I would have preferred you'd chosen to have all this with me instead of him, but seeing you happy and creating your family was enough for me. But then... But then you had to destroy it all!"

He screamed the last sentence, anger oozing from him, his eyes looking hard at Prentiss.

- "You stole her from her family, made her think she would be better with you. You lesbian whore, you tainted her! And now I will make her pure again. Jennifer and I will raise little Henry together and make our own family."

Cavanaugh's eyes were glinting with uncontained madness.

- "Why the rapes, the torture? Why murdering Konstanze Zimmermann, Cavanaugh?"

- "Wouldn't you like to know, agent Rossi. The great profiler hasn't found out why I did this. I would laugh at the idea under other circumstances, but as I'm in a good mood, I will indulge you. I had done some researchs on agent Prentiss, " he spat out her title and name, "and found out she was an old friend of Lieutenant-Colonel Sørensen and Major Watson. I was trying to figure out how to use this information when the Lieutenant-Colonel and Major came out. I had almost considered asking Major Watson out in the past but never went through with the idea, and now she was in a relationship with a woman too? I had my perfect opportunity and my perfect bait, I knew that sooner or later the BAU would be called in, and I would finally be reunited with my dear Jennifer."

This time, Rossi wasn't the one who spoke. It was Kay instead.

- "Why not going after me right away? Why hurting these women?"

- "I could have, but it was so much more fun to torture you and watch you squirm."

- "What would have you done if the women you raped hadn't reported the assault? The chances of them going to the police were close to none."

Hotch's statement caused Cavanaugh to let out a bark of laughter.

- "You really think I am stupid. If they testified, their families would get money and the women were being married. As simple as that." he shrugged.

- "I highly doubt a lowly soldier, even with the help of Private Lewis, has enough money and influence to pay families and convince them to live with the shame of losing their honour."

- "Thank you for pointing this out, Dr Reid. Private Lewis here does whatever I say, he is nothing more than a commodity and he knows it."

- "Why did you help the Captain, Private, if you knew you were disposable?"

- "I got to have fun with Konstanze." Lewis said, licking his lips. "This bitch turned me down. I made her pay."

- "Great, so not only do I have a gun on my head, but we're not dealing with one nutcase but two. This day keeps getting better and better." said JJ sarcastically.

- "Which is exactly why you should stop being such a smart ass." said Private Lewis, pushing the muzzle of his gun that much harder into JJ's temple. She was sure she would have a bruise.

- "Relax Damian, she is trying to push your buttons."

- "Sean, don't you fucking patronize me. I know she is. I ain't a complete moron."

- "Ain't is not a word."

- "Really Sean, we have 2 police officers, 4 FBI agents and 2 soldiers pointing guns and a sniper rifle at us and you decide that now is the appropriate time to correct my grammar? You're unbelievable."

Both men were smiling at each other. Seeing this and hearing the bantering, JJ couldn't help but mutter

- "We're in the middle of a stand-off and I'm held at gunpoint by Laurel and Hardy. Just fucking great."

- "I see why you like her Sean, she's got guts."

- "Told you she was perfect."

A handful of seconds later, Cavanaugh spoke up.

- "I haven't answered Dr Reid's question yet. The Lieutenant-Colonel made quite a few enemies through the years, one of them got fed up. He gave me the means and resources I needed, and I helped him accomplish his own personal vendetta. He is the one who told me the rapes weren't enough, that I should add some 'kink' to them to make them more noticeable. It's also him who said Damian and I could partnered and take it all a step further. The 3 of us have a very profitable partnership for all parts involved."

Listening to Cavanaugh talking so casually about what was a conspiracy designed to rape, torture, abduct and kill made everyone's stomachs doing flips.

- "Now that I indulged your, I must say, quite natural curiosity, it's time for Damian, Jennifer and I to say our farewell. You better let us go without causing troubles."

For the first since this whole mess started, Emily opened her mouth to speak.

- "Why would we do this, Sean?" She made his name sound like a curse word.

Opening his jacket, Cavanaugh replied "Because if you don't, I blow us all up."


	16. Chapter 16

_= Stuttgart, front gate of the base, 11.15 GMT+1 =_

Opening his jacket, Cavanaugh replied "Because if you don't, I blow us all up. All I have to do is press the little green button on my phone and boom! I turn everyone in a 20m radius into mush."

- "Casey, kan du skyte ham?"

- "Ja, Kaja, det kan jeg men det er for mye risiko..."

- "At han trykker på knappen, jeg vet det. Faen!"

- "Vent litt. Mobilen... What if Garcia jams the cell phone network?"

- "Can she do this Em?"

- "She can, and did it once. Saved my life in New York City." Morgan piped in.

- "Baby girl?"

- "I'm on it!"

- "How long?"

- "I don't know, the Germans have a slightly different system than ours. Stall for time!"

Cavanaugh had seen the rapid exchange, but couldn't hear it as they were all whispering into their mics.

- "What the hell are you all doing? You have a death wish? Give me your earpiece, Jennifer, I want to know what your friends are up to."

- "I doubt you'll hear much."

- "Oh yeah, and why is that?"

- "Because of this: PG, cut my feed!"

- "You bitch!"

JJ was expecting a reaction from Cavanaugh and braced herself, but the violence of the slap still surprised her. The skin over her eyebrow burst out open where his knuckles had made contact and blood started running on her cheek. Morgan couldn't refrain himself from whispering _'Typical JJ. We tell her to stall for time and she tries to get herself killed. This woman is impossible'_

- "That's gonna leave a black eye, Cavanaugh. I hope you'll let me take my concealer with me wherever you wanna go." JJ said calmly.

- "I'm sorry Jennifer. Why did you have to do this?"

- "I wasn't going to let you try to kill my girlfriend without putting up a fight."

- "Your girlfriend? Prentiss is a whore, an abomination! I am the only one who can make you happy!"

- "She never hurt me. You slapped me so hard I am bleeding."

- "I said I was sorry, you caught me by surprise. You never should have resisted me."

- "If that's your idea of an apology, let me tell you, you suck at it, Cavanaugh!"

- "Sean, make her shut up or I will do it myself. By pulling the trigger."

- "Don't threaten me Damian. If you kill her, I will kill you."

- "Got a newsflash for you, Sean, we're already dead, I've got nothing to lose. They will shoot us. The only question is when will they do it."

- "No they won't. They won't take the risk of killing one of their own."

- "The FBI maybe cares, but the _Polizei_ doesn't!"

- "Shut up Damian!"

The BAU agents, Kay, Casey, Steffie and Andreas were watching the scene unravelling in front of their eyes, when Garcia's voice was heard in their ears.

- "The signal is jammed, you have 90 seconds."

- "I want them both alive. Andreas, do you have a taser gun?"

- "I do, Kay."

- "Casey, do you think you can shoot Lewis without killing him?"

- "Only if JJ moves out of my line of sight."

- "She will."

- "How, Em?"

- "I'll let her know. How long do we have PG?"

- "45 seconds."

- "Andreas, you tase Cavanaugh, Case, you get Lewis. Prentiss, you give the go."

- "Understood, Kay." came the 3 confirmations.

JJ had seen the exchange taking place between her team-mates and she knew she had to be ready. She caught Emily's eyes and knew what she had to do. She closed her eyes a second longer than she normally would, giving her lover the silent signal that she understood what was expected of her. She took a deep breath and released it incredibly slowly, her sole focus being on Emily's lips, waiting for the go. She didn't have to wait long. 5 seconds later, she read the word 'Go' falling out of her girlfriend's mouth. In one fluid motion she lunged for the gun on her temple and let herself fall on the ground, rolling away from Private Lewis and clearing Casey's line of sight.

At the same time, Andreas had tased Cavanaugh, kicked the phone out of his hands and crushed it under his combat boot for good measure. He was now cuffing Cavanaugh while Steffie hold him at gunpoint. Morgan had rushed over to take a look at the bomb and to make sure it was deactivated.

Hotch had rolled Lewis on his stomach, holding his hands and sitting on his back, waiting for Kay to jog the last meters so she could take a look at Lewis' shoulder, Rossi pointing his gun at the Private's head.

Emily had ran to JJ, checking on her.

- "You OK?"

- "I'm fine. Some cuts and bruises but nothing serious."

Emily eyed the still bleeding cut on her girlfriend's forehead.

- "You're gonna need stitches on that cut, Jen. Nice muzzle bruise you're sporting, by the way." she smirked.

- "Feels like one too. I almost started to believe I would have to spend the rest of my life with his gun attached to my head. I'm going to have a hell of a headache soon." JJ groaned.

- "Reid called the medics, come on, let's get you checked out."

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, base hospital, 11.45 GMT+1 =<em>

- "Agent Jareau"

- "Please, call me JJ."

- "JJ it is then. I'm doctor Lise Kristiansen. Your eyebrow is going to need 4 or 5 stitches, but you are lucky, you don't have a concussion."

- "I leave this to Emily, she is the absolute master when it comes to getting concussed."

- "It's not my fault if unsubs keep hitting me on the head!"

- "Good thing you're so hard-headed then." said a smiling JJ.

Listening to the women's playful banter, Dr Kristiansen had a hard time keeping a straight face.

- "Is this much bantering a normal part of your interactions?" she asked, focusing on putting the last stitch onto JJ's forehead.

- "Doing the job we do, seeing the things we see on a daily basis, humour is a good way to vent. We tend to act like a slightly crazy family sometimes, I'm sure that working for the UN, you've seen this type of behaviour before." a slightly inquisitive JJ stated.

- "I have, but... hang on, put this icepack on your head, it will help the swelling go down. Do you want painkillers?"

JJ shook her head negatively.

- "As I said, I've witnessed this type of behaviour before, for all I know, we're acting like a family too; but your team, and you two in particular, share a bond I've never seen. It's like you're moving, acting, and thinking as one single organism."

- "We hear and see the very worst in humanity, things that would make your stomach turn and your skin crawl. We've seen rooms literally painted in blood from floor to ceiling; men, women, tortured to the point they were unrecognisable; children being abused for so long all light had been extinguished from their eyes. Some of us have been targets themselves and wear both visible and invisible scars... Each and everyone of us carries a burden which more often that not keep us awake at night. When one of us is blessed enough to find something as special as what Jennifer and I have, we cherish it."

Dropping a feather-light caress on JJ's cheek with the tip of her fingers, Emily whispered "I love you."

- "As I love you, Emily Prentiss."

They didn't need to say anything more, their eyes conveyed all the emotions they were feeling: fear, relief, respect, admiration, and unconditional love.

Listening to Emily's haunted confession, hearing the love declaration, and seeing the silent conversation passing between the two women, brought tears to the doctor's eyes. Seeing her doctor cry, a concerned JJ put her hand on Lise's shoulder.

- "Dr Kristiansen, are you OK?"

- "Yes, yes, I am fine, thank you." her voice slightly strangled.

- "Here."

Taking the tissue Emily was holding to her "Thank you, agent Prentiss." offered the doctor with a smile. "I'm going to fill your release papers JJ" turning her gaze to Emily, the doctor resumed speaking "She has to rest. She doesn't have a concussion but she sustained a violent hit which had resulted in a quite impressive shiner, so I would like for you to monitor her closely, just to be on the safe side. I know a majority of LEOs don't like taking painkillers from fear of getting addicted, but some paracetamol won't hurt and will take most of the pain away so do me a favour and take one, agent Jareau."

- "Yes doctor." the two women automatically answered.

- "Agent Prentiss, if you could come with me, I need some extra infos for the paperwork to be in order."

- "Of course. Lay down and rest Jen, I'll be right back." Emily gave her blonde girlfriend a peck on the lips before following the doctor out of the room. They didn't have time to close the door that JJ was already asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>NOTE: the dialogue in norwegian between Kay, Casey and Emily says:<strong>

**- "Casey, can you shoot him?"**

**- "Yes, Kaja, I can do it but there are too many risks..."**

**- "That he pushes the button, I know it. Fuck!" **

**- " Wait a second. The cell phone..."**


	17. Chapter 17

**This is the longest chapter I have EVER written. I couldn't drop my pen before I had it all down on paper, no matter the finger cramps or the fact that I pulled an all-nighter. My muse is a slave-driver.  
>I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.<strong>_  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, base hospital, waiting room, 12.30 GMT+1 =<em>

- "How is our fearless blonde media liaison doing, my dark-haired profiler?"

- "Hello to you too, Garcia. She is a little bruised and battered, but more than fine considering..." Emily didn't needed to finish her sentence, they all knew what the alternative could have been. "I was on my way back to her room, she needs to sign her release papers."

- "What did the doctor say?" Hotch asked.

- "She needed 5 stitches to close the cut on her eyebrow, she has a muzzle bruise on her temple and a black eye which slowly but surely are trying to merge together, and scraped knees from her fall on the ground. She has been ordered to take a few hours of rest, and someone has to monitor her, just to be sure."

- "We're still waiting on Lewis' status and the _Polizei _wants our statements. Take your girl to your room and stay with her. Meeting at 18.00 in the conference room. I don't want to hear anything from the both of you until then, is it understood?"

- "Yes sir."

- "Oh, and, Emily? Tell JJ she did a hell of a job, we're so proud of her and happy she's doing fine."

- "Will do Hotch." answered Emily in a smile.

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, Emily &amp; JJ's room, 14.00 GMT+1 =<em>

- "You OK Jen?"

- "My head hurts but it's bearable. Come lay down with me Em."

Unclipping her gun from her belt and kicking her combat boots aside, Emily crawled over the bed to lay down on her back, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds. When she spoke, her voice was barely above a cracked whisper.

- "You scared the crap out of me Jen. When I saw the gun on your head... I am sure my heart stopped beating. Henry and you mean everything to me, I don't know what I would do if I'd lose any of you."

- "We're not going anywhere, you're stuck with us. We love you too much to leave you Em."

JJ's words were all it took to break the dam and tears started to cascade down Emily's cheeks. JJ rolled on her side and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. Even during the whole Doyle episode, she had never seen Emily so fragile, so broken. It shook her to the core. After minutes which felt like hours to her, she felt Emily calming down, her breathing evening out.

- "Don't you dare do this to me again, Jennifer Jareau, or I will kill you myself!" she heard Emily saying in her hair. "I know it wasn't your fault, the rational part of my brain knows you didn't chose to put yourself in so much danger. I'm used to see Morgan or me ending up on the wrong side of a gun, it's almost a normal part of a case. But you... I've never been so scared in my entire life. It was like seeing all my nightmares becoming true."

- "It's over Em, I'm right here and I'm fine. A little banged up maybe, bur fine nonetheless. Come on, let's get some sleep, something tells me this day is far from being over."

- "Hotch wants us in the conference room at 18.00."

- "No rest for the weary." JJ snorted.

- "You wouldn't have any other way, and you know it."

- "Oh shush!" JJ giggled, swatting Emily's arm.

- "Jen?"

- "Hmmm"

- "I love you."

- "Love you too. Now sleep."

Both women were asleep in a matter of seconds, their bodies tangled up into each other.

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, conference room, 18.00 GMT+1 =<em>

After a 4h long nap, a shared shower, and a fresh change of clothes, JJ and Emily were again ready to take on who- and whatever the world would throw at them. Reid was the first one to see them coming into the room and he grinned from ear to ear.

- "Hey guys, look who's here!"

Next thing JJ knew, she was almost tackled to the ground by Garcia who had catapulted herself into her arms.

- "I can't breathe Pen!" a laughing JJ croaked.

- "Don't you dare _'Pen'_ me, Jennifer Jareau! You scared me to death, I almost want to kill you! Between you, Morgan and Prentiss, I swear to God, I'm getting grey hair! Is it too much to ask for to see you working a case without being knocked down, shot at, stabbed, driving ambulances containing a bomb, held hostage, bruised or concussed? You are so infuriating sometimes,I wonder why I love you all so much! My God, JJ, I'm so glad you're fine! Don't you pull such a stunt ever again, you hear me?"

- "She hears you just fine, baby girl, stop squeezing her like a lemon or she will pass out."

- "Derek Morgan, if you don't take your hands off my shoulders in the next 3 seconds, I will put very compromising photoshopped pictures of you all over the internet!"

- "Wow, you got yourself into a heap of problems, partner." Emily said breathlessly between 2 laughs. "You can try to glare at me Derek, you won't scare me. You're no JJ."

- "It's most definitely certain that our farm girl possesses quite the impressive death glare. It's almost as frightening as the one from that prosecutor chick in Law & Order: SVU." Garcia added.

- "Cabot? Oh yeah, she is hot."

- "Emily Prentiss!"

- "What baby? It's true!"

- "Nah, I prefer Ziva from NCIS. I have a thing for bad ass brunettes carrying a gun and speaking several languages."

- "I never would have guessed." Casey deadpanned, making everyone in the room explode in fits of laughter. Even Hotch cracked a smile.

- "As for my death glare, I deal with media sharks all day long. It comes in handy." said an innocent-looking JJ.

- "JJ, this angelic look of yours isn't fooling any of us, we all know you're the biggest media shark of them all."

- "Good thing I'm working on your side then, Morgan." she winked at him.

The ringing of a phone stopped Morgan from replying and the atmosphere in the room turned serious again. 3 minutes later, Kay spoke.

- "It was the hospital. Lewis is awake."

- "What is his condition?" Hotch asked.

- "Through and through in the right shoulder. He has some muscle damages and the bullet broke his collarbone, which is why the surgery took so long. They had to screw it back into place, he should make a full recovery. They're planning to transfer him to the prison's hospital in 3 or 4 days."

- "Cavanaugh?"

- "He is at the police station. Steffie and Andreas are interrogating him. They should call us soon with more updates."

JJ nodded her thanks to Kay before asking an other question.

- "Do we have an idea on whom the 3rd one is?"

- "The 3rd one?"

- "Unsub, Morgan. Cavanaugh said Lewis and him weren't working alone."

- "I almost forgot. This case sucks! We got played around from the very beginning, delivered a wrong profile, and now there's not only 3 unsubs instead of 1, but also 2 different targets. The last time I felt so frustrated was with Frank."

- "Which is exactly why we're going to work that much harder to catch our last unsub." Rossi said forcefully. "Garcia, can you run everything you can find on Lewis and Cavanaugh? Family background, education, finances, where they've been deployed. I want to know their lives inside and out."

- "You've got it, my italian Don Juan. I'm going to the tactical room, me jiggling my butt is my way to say goodbye."

- "She really is... something else." Kay let out.

- "You still haven't seen everything yet, trust me."

- "I don't doubt this for a second, Dave."

- "Kay?"

- "Yes Dr Reid?"

- "Cavanaugh said this unsub is going specifically against you. Can you think about anyone?"

- "There are a lot of people who don't like me. I'm a woman in a man's world, I had to work twice as hard as the men to earn my place. I'm sure Emily and JJ know what I'm talking about." she gave them a tiny smile. "I may be the daughter of a diplomat but I've always hated politics. Even now that I work for the UN, I still refuse to play the game. I've stepped on a few toes during the 18 years of my career. Enough to go after me like this? I don't think so, I'm sorry."

- "We should ask Garcia to see if she finds something."

Morgan hit speed-dial on his phone before putting it on loudspeaker.

- "You've reached the office of how-may-I-save-your-ass-today, what can I do for you?"

- "You're on speaker, baby girl."

- "It's ok, I also do group prices."

- "We... erm... Can you look into Kay's past? Anyone who would have a motive to go after her now?"

- "I may have to hack into a few databases, but I'll see what I can find. Peace, my furry crime-fighters!"

- "Well, that was a priceless conversation." Emily snorted.

- "I really have to stop putting her on speaker." Morgan muttered, his head between his hands.

- "It's ok Derek, we still love you." JJ chuckled while patting his back.

The ringing coming from Kay's phone saved Morgan from further humiliation.

- "Steffie? Wait, I'm putting you on speaker."

- "Hello everyone. How is JJ?"

- "I'm fine Steffie, thanks for asking."

- "You're welcome. And good to hear... The hospital called me about Lewis, we'll interrogate him as soon as we solve the legal mess this whole thing is. Why does he have to be canadian? We had an agreement with the american authorities and now we have to strike a deal with the canadian ones too. I swear, if I have to talk to one more diplomat, politician, military personel or lawyer, I will scream."

Kay and Emily were exchanging glances over the table, knowing full-well what kind of nightmare Steffie was into.

- "Anyway, Cavanaugh confessed the 7 first rapes, but not Konstanze's. He said this one was on Private Lewis and that he only, and I quote, _'let Damian have his fun raping and strangling her and then I took mine. Shame I had to get rid off the knife, I liked it.'_ Before you asked, he didn't say a word about your 3rd guy, I am sorry."

- "We seriously doubted he would have said anything, don't worry."

- "Thank you Hotch. JJ, Emily, can you stop by the station tomorrow morning? We need to take your statements."

- "Is 10 OK?"

- "Perfect, Emily. I'll let the guys at the entrance know to expect you. So, erm, I was wondering... Are you all up to go out tonight? Andreas thought it would be a good way to relax and celebrate. But of course, I would understand if you'd refuse, you must be tired and..."

- "Steffie." Hotch's voice stopped her ramblings. "I think I speak for everyone when I say it would be an honour."

- "I was starting to ramble, wasn't I? I tend to do this when I get nervous."

- "Dont worry Steffie, it's not like we survived an hostage situation and a bomb today." Emily chuckled slightly.

- "Are you kidding? It's a normal day at the office! It's good to hear you all laugh, especially after a day like this one... So, 21.00 at the front gate of the base?"

- "Sounds good to me." Casey answered for everyone.

- "See you then!"

- "Wait, Steffie?

- "Yes JJ?"

- "Can you invite your M.E. too? She did a great job."

- "I'll tell her. Bye."

- "Prentiss, can you call Garcia to see if something came up and tell her about tonight?"

- "On it Hotch."

- "Talk dirty to me, princess."

- "I... uh... did you find anything yet?"

- "No, my babies are still searching."

- "OK. Well, Steffie and Andreas are taking us out, so you can call it a night."

- "We're going out?"

- "Rendezvous at 21.00 at the front gate."

- "I know it's a terrible thing to say, but I'm really enjoying working on this case. We have a lot of pleasure mixed in with the business."

- "You're unbelievable, Pen!"

- "But you love me."

- "We're all eating dinner at the cafeteria and then get ready."

- "Roger that, my dear Marine. Garcia, over and out!"

- "It's going to be an interesting night." Rossi sighed before following everyone out of the room.

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, front gate of the base, 21.00 GMT+1 =<em>

The 7 women were chatting, waiting for their 'boys' to show up. Kay was wearing grey jeans with a deep V-neck cut light blue tee-shirt; Casey, tight white jeans with a black tank top; Sofie, a light purple dress stopping at mid-thighs; JJ, a deep green, knee-length backless dress; Steffie, dark blue jeans and a white tank top; Garcia, something that looked like a knee-length pink tutu with a purple and black top and a white cardigan; and Emily was wearing a pair of black jeans and a low-cup deep red top.

Upon seeing them, Morgan let out a wolf-whistle.

- "Hot damn ladies, you sure can clean up good!"

- "We try, agent Morgan." a twinkle-eyed Dr Sofie Schmidt, german M.E., replied.

- "Please call me Morgan or Derek, doctor."

- "I'm not a doctor tonight, Sofie will suffice."

- "Derek Morgan! Are you flirting with Sofie?"

- "Me? Flirting? Baby girl, you know you're the only one for me."

- "Nice save, but you're still paying for all my drinks tonight, my chiselled chocolate profiler."

The look of complete hopelessness on Morgan's face was enough to make the 7 women laugh. Thankfully, Morgan escaped more teasing when Andreas stepped out of the minivan.

- "Is everyone here? Then let's go hit the club!"

* * *

><p><em>= Stuttgart, club, 23.00 GMT+1 =<em>

Rossi and Hotch were sitting at the table, playing the role of the responsible sticks in the mud and keeping an eye on their younger collegues, Reid and Andreas were engrossed in some geeky conversation, Garcia and Morgan were redefining the words dirty dancing, Kay, Sofie, Casey and Emily were dancing together and laughing. JJ and Steffie were at the bar, waiting for their drinks and looking at their friends on the dancefloor. Seeing Emily being so carefree warmed JJ's heart, it was such a rare occurrence that she enjoyed it every time she had the chance to see it.

- "You should ask her out, you know."

- "Uh? What are you talking about JJ?"

- "Sofie. You should aske her out. She'd say yes."

- "How... How did you know?" Steffie asked in a small voice.

- "I'm the media liaison but I'm also a profiler. How long?" JJ asked softly.

- "How long have I been in love with her? Almost a year. We have this flirty banter which is just this side of appropriate. I am never sure if it's simply friendly or if it's her way to hint at she wants more."

- "Oh she most definitely wants more, trust me! You remind me of Emily and I. We danced around each-other for months before we got together."

Taking their drinks and those of their friends, they made their way to the dancefloor.

- "The drinks are here, ladies!"

- "Bless you JJ, I was starting to get thirsty." Kay said grabbing her beer.

Casey, Steffie and Emily downed their double-shots of tequila, Sofie was nursing her cosmo and JJ was enjoying her tumbler of whisky. She felt arms snaking around her waist and relaxed onto Emily's body.

- "Hello gorgeous. You OK? How's the head?"

- "I'm fine, just have to remember to not move it too much."

- "What were Steffie and you talking about at the bar?"

- "Sofie." JJ said with a knowing smirk. She felt more than she heard Emily's soft laughter beside her ear.

- "I wondered if Casey and I were the only ones who had picked up on it. They are so oblivious, they remind me of..."

- "Us."

- "Yes. Thank God for Penelope Garcia and her devious little mind."

- "The face you made when you saw there was only one bed in the room, Em... I wish I had taken a picture, it was priceless."

- "I had remembered a conversation we had about what we wore to sleep and how awkward it could be when away on a case. I was praying that for once you had packed something more covering but no, you came out of the bathroom in your trademark Redskins tee-shirt and boyshorts."

- "When I saw you laying on the bed in nothing more than a boxer and tank top, I really thought I was going to lose it. Thankfully, we came to our senses in the end!"

JJ felt Emily grinning against her neck "It was a fun night."

- "That it was. Hopefully tonight will be just as fun for these 2."

- "Something tells me it will be."

- "Come on Em, let's congratulate the new couple."

- "Oh that reminds me... Casey owes me 20 bucks!"

- "You bet on them?"

- "I plead the 5th."

JJ rolled her eyes before laughing. "Well then, my next drink is on you, lover." she said seductively.

- "And what do I get in exchange of my generosity?" Emily's brain went blank for the next minute, as she drowned into JJ's lips.

- "God, Jen, I will never get tired of kissing you."

- "Good. Now let's collect your money, I need an other whisky."

- "Caaaaseeeyyyyy" Emily sing-songed when they rejoigned the 2 soldiers.

- "Oh look who's there Kaja, it's your annoying friend." Casey rolled her eyes and pretended to be bored by the interruption before laughing. "Whattaya want, Em?"

- "You owe me 20 bucks."

- "What? No way! I never thought they'd have the guts!"

- "Why do you owe 20 bucks to Em and who's _'they' _?"

- "The profiler over there said Steffie and Sofie would get together before the end of this case. I said they will never have the guts to act on their feelings."

- "Casey Watson! I can't believe it. You bet on your friends' love life? And you had to do it with a profiler... Oh honey, I don't know if I should be angry at you or laugh."

- "I don't know either."

When the 4 women had regain their breaths from their laughing fit, Emily spoke to Kay.

- "Come on Kay, I nee your help to carry drinks. Casey, JJ, can you ask everyone to get back at the table?"

- "What are you planning to do, Prentiss?"

- "You'll see, Jareau!"

5 minutes later, everyone was gathered around the table and Kay and Emily arived with a tray full of glasses and a bottle of champagne. When Kay was done pouring the glasses, Emily took one and cleared her throat.

- "As we're celebrating, I figured some bubbles were in order. Today had been a long and scary day which ended almost miraculously well. To old and new friends. To new love." She winked at Steffie and Sofie who blushed furiously. "And to solving this case."

They drank, laughed, danced and talked until the early hours of the morning, each and everyone of them sinking into the feeling of being alive.


	18. Chapter 18

_= Stuttgart, base cafeteria, 14.00 GMT+1 =_

- "When do we fly back again?" a yawning JJ asked.

- "In 60 minutes."

- "Thanks Spence. Ugh, I need more of this incredible coffee."

- "Long night?" Morgan asked, waggling hie eyebrows.

- "Longer than yours." a smirking JJ shot back.

Hearing JJ's answer, Morgan chocked on his coffee.

- "My dark Apollo, you should know better than ask about Hotshot's night when you know she shares a room with Butch McSexy."

- "This is not a mental image I needed."

- "Right. We all know Rossi and you pictured JJ and I together at least once." Emily snickered.

- "You can't blame us, JJ and you make a hot power couple."

- "Yes we are, thank you for acknowledging it, Rossi." JJ grinned at him before sipping her mug of fresh coffee. "God, I will really miss the UN brew. This stuff is rocking my world."

- "Good thing we're providing you with a lifetime supply of it then."

- "What? You better explain yourself, Major Casey Watson of the USMC!"

- "Kay and I may or may not have talked to John, our intendance responsible, and he may or may not have packed 15kg of it into the jet this morning. By the way, I hope you don't mind that we re-baptised said coffee."

JJ's face was reflecting shock and incredulity equally. "Re-baptised?"

- "We agreed on giving a new name to it, that's what re-baptising means." Casey teased.

- "I make my living with words, I know what re-baptising means. Now answer my question before I reach for my gun!"

- "You wouldn't shoot me."

- "I would."

"She would." Emily nodded. "No one jokes with her about coffee and survives."

- "Point taken. What was previously known under the boring name _'UN special home-made coffee blend' _is now named the _'JJ'_."

The blonde media liaison looked at Casey, complete surprise and utter shock clearly painted on her features. "You... I... Uh... No... What?" Unable to string two words together, se was stuttering.

- "This is the first time I've seen someone rendering JJ completely speechless."

- "You're welcome, Hotch, the pleasure is all ours." added Kay before joining the group around the table. "The helicopter is ready to take us to the airport but before we leave, you have a last minute visitor."

- _"Guten Tag!"_

- "Hello Steffie."

- "Hello Hotch. Guys." She said with a slight nod. "I heard your chariot awaits so I won't be long. Andreas apologises, he wanted to come but he is stuck at the station with the canadian ambassador."

- "I don't envy him."

- "Me neither, Emily." Steffie laughed. "Anyway, I'm here to give you a couple of things."

She opened the bag she was carrying and took a plaque out of it. "We got it made especially for you."

It was 30x20cm, with the seals of the _Polizei_ and the _Land_ of Baden-Württemberg, as well as the words _'To the FBI Behavior Analysis Unit. With all our admiration, gratitude, and thanks.'_

- "Steffie, you didn't have to..."

- "I am not done, agent Hotchner." Steffie interrupted him.

She gave the bag to hold to Kay, reached inside of it and pulled out 7 boxes. She gave one to each FBI agent. "Open them." she said. "They are the medal of honour of the Baden-Württemberg police." she added simply.

- "You really didn't have to." Hotch said softly.

- "Maybe not, agent Hotchner, but it's important to both Andreas and myself."

- "Thank you very much, Oberkommissar Bankhauser."

- "You're welcome. You have an helicopter and a plane to catch, I won't held you and your team any longer."

They all exchanged hugs, when it was Emily's turn, the profiler couldn't stop herself from whispering into the cop's ear "Nice hickey." earning herself a glare.

- "If you're ever in the US, you're more than welcome to stop at Quantico for a visit."

- "Or the UN." Kay added.

- "Thank you agent Rossi, Lieutenant-Colonel, I'll remember this. Have a nice flight home!"

* * *

><p><em>= In the jet, 15.30 GMT+1 =<em>

- "What did you find, Garcia?"

- "Not as much as I would have liked, boss man. Our Viking of steel and carbon caused a few ripples in her career, but it was nothing compared to the ruckus the formation of the task force created. I'm still looking into it. Cavanaugh is an other story. A few hours after each rape, 25 000$ appeared on his bank account. I followed the money and it led me to an account in the Swiss national bank. I can hack into their system but it will take time."

- "Forget it, I'm calling Ban."

- "Ban?" Morgan asked, eyebrows frowned.

- "Ban Ki-Moon. General-Secretary of the United Nations." Casey replied simply.

- "Sir, this Lieutenant-Colonel Kaja Sørensen, commandant of the UN rapid deployment task force. I need a favour." She hung up a few minutes later. "Expect a phone call very soon, Garcia."


	19. Chapter 19

_= In the jet, 15.50 GMT+1 =_

- "Did we just bypassed the swiss bank secrecy with a single phone call?" a bewildered Penelope Garcia asked.

- "One of the perks of working for the UN: you know a lot of really influent people."

- "Who else do you have on speed-dial, Kay?"

- "I'll let you speculate, Morgan." She winked at him.

Garcia's phone rang the next second, interrupting any possible reply from Morgan.

- _"You've reached Penelope Garcia, FBI technical analyst. What can I do for you?... Thank you Sir... Goodbye."_ Garcia raised her eyes from her laptop for a second before speaking. "The account was open February 1st, 2011, by an american citizen named William David Johnson. There's a good chance he used an alias but I'm running it anyway."

- "Well, hell, I haven't seen that one coming... You'll find out he works for the UN."

- "Casey?"

- " William David Johnson is our boss."

- "Why would your boss take part in a conspiracy like this one?"

- "I have no idea, Reid. Kay?"

- "The american delegation was a bit on the defensive when the task force was created, they were afraid most of the expenses would be on them. Johnson was one of the most ferocious opposant, but as soon as the economical issue was resolved, he became one of its greatest supporters. With his knowledge, influence, and his connections, he has been able to get us the best of the best to join the task force. I don't understand why he would sabotage 2 years of hard and successful work."

- "What's his background, Garcia?" Rossi asked.

- "Political sciences at Yale, specialised on the Middle-East. Ambassador in Lebanon and Israel... wow! Madeleine Albright was his mentor during her time as US ambassador at the UN."

- "He is in the inner circle" Casey added "he drops at the White House at least twice a month to have lunch with the president."

- "Great. You know what's worse than a career diplomat? A career diplomat with the connections he has. He is persuaded he is above the law, not only because he has diplomatic immunity, but also because he is certain no one will dare to touch him by fear of the scandal." Emily said bitterly.

- "I doubt anyone will be able to cover this one up. Yes, he is an american diplomat but he is working for an international organisation, is an accomplice of 8 rapes and 1 murder on 3 continents... and he isn't the only one with connections. Between you and me, we can give him a run for his money."

- "I admire your confidence, Kay, forgive me for not sharing it though."

- "Please, Em. You're the daughter of ambassador Prentiss; Casey is a war hero with 2 purple hearts, a bronze star and a presidential citation; and my mother was one of the main artisan behind the Oslo Accords, the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. You worked for the CIA and Interpol before joining an elite unit inside the FBI. I'm serving in the norwegian army since 18 years and lost my leg in service. We could have used our education, connections and money to live the great life, be unsufferable like the majority of the other brats, but no, instead we chose to take governemental jobs and put our lives on the line every single day. Trust me when I tell you when any of the 3 of us talk, people listen. Now call your mother and see what she can do, I'll call mine and Casey will call the DoJ and the DoD."

- "If she wants to drag me to a boring gala or dinner in exchange for her help, I'm warning you Kaja, you're coming along!" Emily muttered while dialling. _"Hello Sheryl, it's Emily, could I speak to my mother? It's extremely important... Hello ambassador, how are you?... I'm good, mother. Do you remember Kaja Sørensen?... Yes, she still works for the UN, this is why I'm calling you. She asked for our help on a case and it turns out it's politically sensitive... Yes, I still do hate politics, ambassador, all I would like to know is if you're going to help us or not... Good. Do you know a William David Johnson?... Yes, that's the one. He isn't only a member of the US delegation to the UN, he is also our unsub... It is possible, I am emailing you the case file right now. Could you ask the president for an emergency meeting and present the case to him?... Thank you, we'll keep in touch."_

- "We've worked together for years and I am still in awe to see how easily the name _'Prentiss'_ opens doors."

- "It's my cross to bear, Morgan." Emily sighed.

- "Em, I know you hate all the strings attached to your name, but if it helps solv..." The ringing of a phone stopped Casey mid-sentence "_ 'Major Casey Watson... Yes Sir... Thank you Sir.' _It was the DoJ's chief of staff, as soon as Johnson's immunity is lifted, we can hold him under the Patriot Act... Or at least threaten him to do so."

- "What do we do now?" Morgan asked.

- "We wait." came Rossi's answer.

* * *

><p><em>= In the jet, 18.30 GMT+1 =<em>

- _" 'Prentiss... Yes mother... Thank you.'" _Emily hung up the phone and took a deep breath before looking at the people around her. "The president revoked Johnson's diplomatic immunity; I've got to admit, I'm surprised."

- "I'm not. I've learned a long time ago that nothing is out of your mother's reach. She is one of the most ruthless diplomat I have ever met."

- "Oh don't I know it, Kaja." Emily groaned "I grew up with the woman."

- "Can we make the arrest tonight or do we have to wait until tomorrow.?" a curious Morgan asked.

- "Our landing is planned at La Guardia at 18.30, NYC time. We should be able to catch him at his office. Hopefully the traffic won't be too bad."

- "Forget it Hotch. I am not spending 1 hour stuck in traffic after a 9h long flight over the Atlantic. We're flying. An helicopter is waiting for us and will take us to the Four Seasons. We can have the SUVs waiting for us at the hotel."

Hotch's eyebrows shot up on his forehead at Kay's suggestion. "The Four Seasons?"

- "It's Thursday." she shrugged, as it explained everything.

- "What Kay is trying to say," Casey supplied, "is that Johnson meets some friends for dinner and a poker game at the Fours Seasons every Thursday."

- "I can already smell the scandal..." Rossi mused.

- "Not necessarily." Kay offered "We can ask him to follow us somewhere more private, pretending we have to talk about the case. He doesn't know we know about his implication."

- "Rossi?"

- "Sounds like the most reasonable way to me, Hotch."

- "We're not doing a house-to-house swipe for Talibans in Kandahar." Casey voiced. "If we come inside a luxury hotel with guns blazing, the press will torch us faster than you can say _'Organisation of the United Nations'_. I agree with Kay. The both of us, and maybe Prentiss; your background can't hurt Em, should go to his table and ask if we can talk to him in private. I'm sure the hotel will let us borrow a conference room for a few minutes. You lot can wait in it, and as soon we close the door you can cuff him and Miranda him."

- "Sounds good to me." Hotch agreed.

- "Then I have a call to make." Kay said, dialling the hotel's phone number.

* * *

><p><em>= New York City, restaurant of the Four Seasons, 19.15 GMT-5 =<em>

Kay, Casey, and Emily walked into the restaurant, eyes scanning their surroundings for locating Johnson.

Casey spot him first and elbowed her friend and girlfriend. "10 o'clock, in the corner."

A handful of seconds later, the three women were standing by the table.

- "Excuse me Sir, could we talk in private?"

- "Lieutenant-Colonel? Major? What is so urgent that you have to disturb me here?" saying that Johnson wasn't pleased by the interruption was putting it mildly. "And who's this?" he asked, pointing is finger at Emily.

- "I'm FBI Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss, Sir."

- "Prentiss? I met your mother a few times when we were both stationed in the Middle-East. Send her my regards."

It took all her willpower to not roll her eyes and snap at him. "I will Sir."

- "What is going on, Sørensen?"

Kay internally cringed at his omission of her grade.

- "It's about Germany, Sir. It's extremely important. I spoke with the hotel management, we can borrow a conference room. It will give us more... privacy. Sir?"

- "Alright. You have 5 minutes. Gentlemen." he tipped his head to the 4 men sitting around the table. "Duty calls. Tell the waiter to keep my food warm if we're served before I'm back."

Johnson stood up, and for a very fleeting moment, Emily could have sworn she saw his eyes darting to the exit. His face remained impassible, so she brushed the feeling aside, blaming it on the jet-lag.

- "Ladies, lead the way." he said graciously.

Kay walked in front, Emily stood by his left side, and Casey was closing the way. They left the restaurant, and were crossing the lobby on their way to the lifts when Johnson turned around, pushed Emily against the wall, and started to run. Kay and Casey were hot on his heels, the Marine was closing in on him when a bellhop pushing a cart came out of nowhere making her trip and crash on the floor. The commotion behind him draw Johnson's attention and he didn't see Kay coming from the side and tackling him roughly to the ground. She rolled him on his stomach and hold him pinned before calling for Emily and Casey.

- "Girls, you're OK?"

- "I think I sprained my wrist." Casey groaned. "I'll live." She reached in one of her ACU trousers' pockets and hold out plastic-handcuffs to Kay who took them with her right hand, her left keeping her boss's hands behind his back.

- "If you move, I won't hesitate to put you in a choke-hold until you pass out, is it understood?"

- "Yes." he growled.

She then proceeded to cuff him, before relaxing her position on his back.

- "How are you?" Casey asked her.

- "It's not my running prosthesis. My leg will be sore for a few days but I'm fine. Where's Em?"

- "I'm here. I called the others, they're on their way down. Why the fuck do unsubs always have to whack me on the head and run?" she said dejectedly, holding a tissue to her bleeding forehead.

- "Lemme see" the redhead ordered "Approximatively 3cm long cut, 5mm deep. You need stitches. And I think you have a concussion, the pupil of your left eye is more dilated than the right one. You should sit down."

- "I'm f..."

- "If you say 'fine' I **will** kick you!"

- "Fine." Emily grumbled. She had barely sat down on the floor that the rest of the BAU showed up.

- "What happened?" Hotch asked to no one in particular.

- "He tried to run away." Kay stated, rolling her eyes, clearly relaying the thought _'like he could outrun 2 highly trained soldier and a FBI agent'_

- "Oh my God Em, you're bleeding!"

- "I'm fine Jay. This dumbass" she pointed at Johnson "pushed me and I hit the corner of the marble wall. Apparently we couldn't close this case before I get the mandatory hit on the head." she tried to joke. JJ's glare clearly told her her girlfriend wasn't amused.

Morgan helped Kay to stand up before lifting Johnson not too gently up on his feet.

- "We're going to the office. You" Hotch pointed at Emily "go get checked out. No complaining. JJ, go with her."

* * *

><p><em>= New York City, FBI field office, interrogation room, 20.30 GMT-5 =<em>

- "How does a man as intelligent and powerful as you ends up in situation like this one?"

- "Wouldn't you like to know, agent Hotchner." he sneered.

- "Actually" Reid intervened "I can come up with a few reasons. Jealousy, deception, and wanting even more power."

- "Looks like they taught you well at the kindergarten you barely left... All of the above."

- "Care to develop, Johnson?"

- "What do you want to know, agent Rossi? The task force is the General-Secretary's baby, he used all his political weight and influence to get its creation accepted. It was supposed to be one of those failed experiment which are so frequent throughout the history of the UN, but no, he had to find the only 2 people in the world who could pull off the impossible task of running smoothly and successfully a permanent international unit."

- "So you did all this to get back at the General-Secretary?" a slightly incredulous Hotch asked.

- "If the unit failed to accomplish its mission, he would have lost all credibility. When I realised the unit wouldn't crash and burn by itself, I had to find an other way to make it happen. So when I found out about Cavanaugh's little _obsession_" he licked his lips "I decided to use it at my advantage, to destroy the unit and Ban Ki-Moon in the process."

- "Why do you hate him so much?"

- "When he got elected, they put me in charge of the task force, as some kind of pitiful consolation. I was the next one on the list! Once I got him out of the way, I could have moved into his seat." Shooting up, Johnson shouted "It should have been me since the beginning! It should have been me! I will destroy you all, you'll never be able to touch me, I have immunity!"

- "Actually, you don't have it anymore. The president cancelled it a few hours ago." Hotch said. Looking at the guards, he added "Lock him up."

- "Enjoy your stay in your high security prison." Morgan said smugly before exiting the room.


	20. Epilogue

**This story is now over, thank to all of you who read and reviewed it. You made the ride a very nice one :)  
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**The upcoming sequel, _"Phantoms of the past"_, will be darker and more violent, and I hopefully will be able to share the first chapter with you sometime in the next days. **

**Until next time! halfanorski  
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* * *

><p><strong>Two weeks later<strong>

_=New York City, ballroom of the Four Seasons hotel, 20.00 GMT-5 =_

The 7 members of the BAU, Kay and Casey were sitting together at a table alongside the UN norwegian and US ambassadors, and ambassador Prentiss.

Kay and Casey were both looking very authoritative in their respective dress uniforms, while the BAU agents were all looking extremely sharp in their tuxedoes and cocktail dresses.

- "I can't believe the hotel allowed us in again for this shindig, after the trick we pulled." Garcia mock-whispered.

- "The UN has a partnership with them. We spend a lot of money here..." Kay informed her.

Any further conversation came to halt when they heard a throat being cleared, catching the attention of the numerous guests present in the room. The UN General-Secretary was standing in front of a mic on the podium, looking around before starting his speech.

- "Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here tonight to thank men and women who stopped 3 men who used their power to threaten, assault, torture, rape, murder, and discredit. They protected this organisation without considering the risks for their own safety or careers. SSA Hotchner, Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss, Jareau, Dr Reid, technical analyst Penelope Garcia, Lieutenant-Colonel Watson and Colonel Sørensen; would you please join me on stage?"

They made their way to the stage, standing slightly awkwardly a few feet behind the Secretary.

- "In the name of all the nations member of the organisation, I am very honoured to present you with the medal of the United Nations."

After getting their medals and giving their thanks, the group went back to its table.

- "Lieutenant-Colonel? Colonel? What happened to Major and Lieutenant-Colonel?"

- "Oh yeah" a smirking Casey replied "we may have forgotten to mention that we've been promoted."

- "Don't look at us like this Em, our respective brass figured that stopping 1 rapist, 1 murderer and a dirty diplomat was worth getting a higher grade. So yeah, I'm now a Colonel and Casey a Lieutenant-Colonel." Kay added, grinning from ear to ear.

- "It most definitely deserves a toast." said Hotch lifting his glass of champagne. "To Lieutenant-Colonel Watson and Colonel Sørensen."

- "And to the BAU." Casey piped in.

- "To us." JJ added.

Clinking their glasses, they all nodded "To us."

**FIN**


End file.
